@article {2145, title = {An autonomous single-piston engine with a quantum rotor}, year = {2018}, month = {2018/02/15}, abstract = {

Pistons are elementary components of a wide variety of thermal engines, converting input fuel into rotational motion. Here, we propose a single-piston engine where the rotational degree of freedom is effectively realized by the flux of a superconducting island -- a quantum rotor -- while the working volume corresponds to the effective length of a superconducting resonator. Our autonomous design implements a Carnot cycle, relies solely on standard thermal baths and can be implemented with circuit quantum electrodynamics. We demonstrate how the piston is able to extract a net positive work via its built-in synchronicity using a filter cavity as an effective valve, eliminating the need for external control.

}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1088/2058-9565/aac40d}, url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/1802.05486}, author = {Alexandre Roulet and Stefan Nimmrichter and J. M. Taylor} }