2026/07/31 by Ripunjay Dwivedi, Manus R. Visser
Physics and Astronomy · #hep-th #cond-mat.stat-mech #gr-qc
26 pages, 17 figures, v2: revised the treatment of the regenerative Stirling cycle and branch-dependent efficiencies, updated figures and captions, main conclusions unchanged
arxiv created 2026/08/05 · arxiv updated 2026/08/06
We construct reversible black hole heat engines in asymptotically flat spacetime using quasi-local gravitational thermodynamics. We enclose a Schwarzschild black hole in a finite spherical cavity and identify the working substance with the holographically dual thermal system on the cavity boundary. The surface pressure and the boundary area define a thermodynamic pressure-volume pair, while all coupling constants of the gravitational theory remain fixed. We derive exact efficiencies for the Carnot, Otto, Diesel, Brayton, and Stirling engines and compare them numerically. The non-Carnot efficiencies probe the quasi-local equations of state of the Schwarzschild black hole. Both the regenerative and non-regenerative Stirling efficiencies on the large black hole branch approach the Carnot value in the high-temperature limit, with regeneration reducing the leading deviation from the Carnot bound.