2000/06/09 by Carl M. Bender, C. M. Bender, Dorje C. Brody +3 · 4 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Adiabatic process #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #Carnot cycle #Heat engine #Ideal gas #Isothermal process #Physics #Quantum #Quantum Electrodynamics and Casimir Effect #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum mechanics #Stirling engine #Thermodynamic cycle #Thermodynamics #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/0305-4470/33/24/302
published as J. Phys. A 33, 4427-4436, 2000 · 10 pages
openalex publication_date 2000/06/09 · arxiv created 2000/07/03 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
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.