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arXiv · 2508.17036

A Single-Molecule Quantum Heat Engine

Serhii Volosheniuk·Riccardo Conte·Eugenia Pyurbeeva·Thomas Baum·Manuel Vilas-Varela·Saleta Fernández·Diego Peña·Herre S. J. van der Zant·Pascal Gehring
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Abstract

Particle-exchange heat engines operate without moving parts or time-dependent driving, relying solely on static energy-selective transport. Here, we realize a particle-exchange quantum heat engine based on a single diradical molecule, only a few nanometers in size. We experimentally investigate its operation at low temperatures and demonstrate that both the power output and efficiency are significantly enhanced by Kondo correlations, reaching up to 53 % of the Curzon-Ahlborn limit. These results establish molecular-scale particle-exchange engines as promising candidates for low-temperature applications where extreme miniaturization and energy efficiency are paramount.

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Serhii Volosheniuk, Riccardo Conte, Eugenia Pyurbeeva, Thomas Baum, Manuel Vilas-Varela, Saleta Fernández, Diego Peña, Herre S. J. van der Zant, Pascal Gehring. 2025-08-23. A Single-Molecule Quantum Heat Engine. https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.17036

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