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Quantum mechanical Carnot engine

C. M. Bender·D. C. Brody·B. K. Meister
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Abstract

A cyclic thermodynamic heat engine runs most efficiently if it is reversible. Carnot constructed such a reversible heat engine by combining adiabatic and isothermal processes for a system containing an ideal gas. Here, we present an example of a cyclic engine based on a single quantum-mechanical particle confined to a potential well. The efficiency of this engine is shown to equal the Carnot efficiency because quantum dynamics is reversible. The quantum heat engine has a cycle consisting of adiabatic and isothermal quantum processes that are close analogues of the corresponding classical processes.

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C. M. Bender, D. C. Brody, B. K. Meister. 2000-07-03. Quantum mechanical Carnot engine. https://doi.org/10.1088/0305-4470%2F33%2F24%2F302

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