Feynman's ratchet and pawl: an exactly solvable model

We introduce a simple, discrete model of Feynman's ratchet and pawl, operating between two heat reservoirs. We solve exactly for the steady-state directed motion and heat flows produced, first in the absence and then in the presence of an external load. We show that the model can act both as a heat engine and as a refrigerator. We finally investigate the behavior of the system near equilibrium, and use our model to confirm general predictions based on linear-response theory.     

The stationary state and the heat equation for a variant of Davies' model of heat conduction

We study a variant of Davies' model of heat conduction, consisting of a chain of (classical or quantum) harmonic oscillators, whose ends are coupled to thermal reservoirs at different temperatures, and where neighboring oscillators interact via intermediate reservoirs. In the weak coupling limit, we show that a unique stationary state exists, and that a discretized heat equation holds. We give an explicit expression of the stationary state in the case of two classical oscillators. The heat equation is obtained in the hydrodynamic limit, and it is proved that it completely describes the macroscopic behavior of the model.     

Heat Transport in Harmonic Lattices

We work out the non-equilibrium steady state properties of a harmonic lattice which is connected to heat reservoirs at different temperatures. The heat reservoirs are themselves modeled as harmonic systems. Our approach is to write quantum Langevin equations for the system and solve these to obtain steady state properties such as currents and other second moments involving the position and momentum operators. The resulting expressions will be seen to be similar in form to results obtained for electronic transport using the non-equilibrium Green’s function formalism. As an application of the formalism we discuss heat conduction in a harmonic chain connected to self-consistent reservoirs. We obtain a temperature dependent thermal conductivity which, in the high-temperature classical limit, reproduces the exact result on this model obtained recently by Bonetto, Lebowitz and Lukkarinen.     

Dynamical response of nanostructures and Joule heat release

We consider Joule heat release in a quantum wire joining two classical reservoirs under the action of a nonstationary periodic electric field. The rate of heat generation and its spatial distribution is discussed. The heat is spread over the lengths of electron mean free paths in the reservoirs. We find that the total rates of heat generation in both reservoirs that are joined by the nanostructure are the same.     

Maximum power output of a class of irreversible non-regeneration heat engines with a non-uniform working fluid and linear phenomenological heat transfer law

Maximum power output of a class of irreversible non-regeneration heat engines with non-uniform working fluid, in which heat transfers between the working fluid and the heat reservoirs obey the linear phenomenological heat transfer law [q ∝ Δ(T ⁻¹)], are studied in this paper. Optimal control theory is used to determine the upper bounds of power of the heat engine for the lumped-parameter model and the distributed-parameter model, respectively. The results show that the maximum power output of the heat engine in the distributed-parameter model is less than or equal to that in the lumped-parameter model, which could provide more realistic guidelines for real heat engines. Analytical solutions of the maximum power output are obtained for the irreversible heat engines working between constant temperature reservoirs. For the irreversible heat engine operating between variable temperature reservoirs, a numerical example for the lumped-parameter model is provided by numerical calculation. The effects of changes of reservoir’s temperature on the maximum power of the heat engine are analyzed. The obtained results are, in addition, compared with those obtained with Newtonian heat transfer law [q ∝ Δ(T)].     

Entropy production in nonequilibrium systems at stationary states

We present a stochastic approach to nonequilibrium thermodynamics based on the expression of the entropy production rate advanced by Schnakenberg for systems described by a master equation. From the microscopic Schnakenberg expression we get the macroscopic bilinear form for the entropy production rate in terms of fluxes and forces. This is performed by placing the system in contact with two reservoirs with distinct sets of thermodynamic fields and by assuming an appropriate form for the transition rate. The approach is applied to an interacting lattice gas model in contact with two heat and particle reservoirs. On a square lattice, a continuous symmetry breaking phase transition takes place such that at the nonequilibrium ordered phase a heat flow sets in even when the temperatures of the reservoirs are the same. The entropy production rate is found to have a singularity at the critical point of the linear-logarithm type.     

Performance characteristics and optimal analysis of a nonlinear diode refrigerator

This paper establishes a model of a nonlinear diode refrigerator consisting of two diodes switched in the opposite directions and located in two heat reservoirs with different temperatures.Based on the theory of thermal fluctuations,the expressions of the heat flux absorbed from the heat reservoirs are derived.After the heat leak between the two reservoirs is considered,the cooling rate and the coefficient of performance are obtained analytically.The influence of the heat leak and the temperature ratio on the performance characteristics of the refrigerator is analysed in detail.     

A Maxwell Demon Model Connecting Information and Thermodynamics

In the past decades several theoretical Maxwell's demon models have been proposed to exhibit effects such as refrigerating,doing work at the cost of information,and some experiments have been carried out to realize these effects.We propose a model with a two-level demon,information represented by a sequence of bits,and two heat reservoirs.The reservoir that the demon is interacting with depends on the bit.When the temperature difference between the two heat reservoirs is large enough,the information can be erased.On the other hand,when the information is pure enough,heat transfer from one reservoir to the other can happen,resulting in the effect of refrigeration.Genuine examples of such a system are discussed.     

Exponential Convergence to Non-Equilibrium Stationary States in Classical Statistical Mechanics

We continue the study of a model for heat conduction [6] consisting of a chain of non-linear oscillators coupled to two Hamiltonian heat reservoirs at different temperatures. We establish existence of a Liapunov function for the chain dynamics and use it to show exponentially fast convergence of the dynamics to a unique stationary state. Ingredients of the proof are the reduction of the infinite dimensional dynamics to a finite-dimensional stochastic process as well as a bound on the propagation of energy in chains of anharmonic oscillators. Received: 12 March 2001 / Accepted: 5 August 2001     

Asymptotic Behavior of Thermal Nonequilibrium Steady States for a Driven Chain of Anharmonic Oscillators

We consider a model of heat conduction introduced in [6], which consists of a finite nonlinear chain coupled to two heat reservoirs at different temperatures. We study the low temperature asymptotic behavior of the invariant measure. We show that, in this limit, the invariant measure is characterized by a variational principle. The main technical ingredients are some control theoretic arguments to extend the Freidlin–Wentzell theory of large deviations to a class of degenerate diffusions. Received: 6 January 2000 / Accepted: 4 May 2000     

Exchange fluctuation theorems for a chain of interacting particles in presence of two heat baths

The exchange fluctuation theorem for heat exchanged between two systems at different temperatures, when kept in direct contact, has been investigated by Jarzynski and Wójcik [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 230602 (2004)]. We extend this result to the case where two Langevin reservoirs at different temperatures are connected via a conductor made of interacting particles, and are subjected to an external drive or work source. The Langevin reservoirs are characterized by Gaussian white noise fluctuations and concomitant friction coefficients. We first derive the Crooks theorem for the ratio between forward and reverse paths, and discuss the first law in this model. Then we derive the modified detailed fluctuation theorems (MDFT) for the heat exchanged at each end. These theorems differ from the usual form of the detailed fluctuation theorems (DFT) in literature, due the presence of an extra multiplicative factor. This factor quantifies the deviation of our MFDT from the DFT. Finally, we numerically study our model, with only two interacting particles for simplicity.     

Heat transport in quantum spin chains

We discuss the problem of heat conduction in quantum spin chain models. To investigate this problem it is necessary to consider the finite open system connected to heat baths. We describe two different procedures to couple the system with the reservoirs: a model of stochastic heat baths and the quantum trajectories solution of the quantum master equation. The stochastic heat bath procedure operates on the pure wave function of the isolated system, so that it is locally and periodically collapsed to a quantum state consistent with a boundary nonequilibrium state. In contrast, the quantum trajectories procedure evaluates ensemble averages in terms of the reduced density matrix operator of the system. We apply these procedures to different models of quantum spin chains and numerically show their applicability to study the heat flow.     

Manipulation and generation of supercurrent in out-of-equilibrium Josephson tunnel nanojunctions

We demonstrate experimentally the manipulation of supercurrent in Al-AlOx-Ti Josephson tunnel junctions by injecting quasiparticles in a Ti island from two additional tunnel-coupled Al superconducting reservoirs. Both supercurrent enhancement and quenching with respect to equilibrium are achieved. We demonstrate cooling of the Ti line by quasiparticle injection from the normal state deep into the superconducting phase. A model based on heat transport and the nonmonotonic current-voltage characteristic of a Josephson junction satisfactorily accounts for our findings.     

Mathematical Theory of Non-Equilibrium Quantum Statistical Mechanics

We review and further develop a mathematical framework for non-equilibrium quantum statistical mechanics recently proposed in refs. 1–7. In the algebraic formalism of quantum statistical mechanics we introduce notions of non-equilibrium steady states, entropy production and heat fluxes, and study their properties. Our basic paradigm is a model of a small (finite) quantum system coupled to several independent thermal reservoirs. We exhibit examples of such systems which have strictly positive entropy production.     

Reprint of : Thermoelectricity without absorbing energy from the heat sources

We analyze the power output of a quantum dot machine coupled to two electronic reservoirs via thermoelectric contacts, and to two thermal reservoirs – one hot and one cold. This machine is a nanoscale analogue of a conventional thermocouple heat-engine, in which the active region being heated is unavoidably also exchanging heat with its cold environment. Heat exchange between the dot and the thermal reservoirs is treated as a capacitive coupling to electronic fluctuations in localized levels, modeled as two additional quantum dots. The resulting multiple-dot setup is described using a master equation approach. We observe an “exotic” power generation, which remains finite even when the heat absorbed from the thermal reservoirs is zero (in other words the heat coming from the hot reservoir all escapes into the cold environment). This effect can be understood in terms of a non-local effect in which the heat flow from heat source to the cold environment generates power via a mechanism which we refer to as Coulomb heat drag. It relies on the fact that there is no relaxation in the quantum dot system, so electrons within it have a non-thermal energy distribution. More poetically, one can say that we find a spatial separation of the first-law of thermodynamics (heat to work conversion) from the second-law of thermodynamics (generation of entropy). We present circumstances in which this non-thermal system can generate more power than any conventional macroscopic thermocouple (with local thermalization), even when the latter works with Carnot efficiency.     

Thermoelectricity without absorbing energy from the heat sources

We analyze the power output of a quantum dot machine coupled to two electronic reservoirs via thermoelectric contacts, and to two thermal reservoirs – one hot and one cold. This machine is a nanoscale analogue of a conventional thermocouple heat-engine, in which the active region being heated is unavoidably also exchanging heat with its cold environment. Heat exchange between the dot and the thermal reservoirs is treated as a capacitive coupling to electronic fluctuations in localized levels, modeled as two additional quantum dots. The resulting multiple-dot setup is described using a master equation approach. We observe an “exotic” power generation, which remains finite even when the heat absorbed from the thermal reservoirs is zero (in other words the heat coming from the hot reservoir all escapes into the cold environment). This effect can be understood in terms of a non-local effect in which the heat flow from heat source to the cold environment generates power via a mechanism which we refer to as Coulomb heat drag. It relies on the fact that there is no relaxation in the quantum dot system, so electrons within it have a non-thermal energy distribution. More poetically, one can say that we find a spatial separation of the first-law of thermodynamics (heat to work conversion) from the second-law of thermodynamics (generation of entropy). We present circumstances in which this non-thermal system can generate more power than any conventional macroscopic thermocouple (with local thermalization), even when the latter works with Carnot efficiency.     

Correlation functions near instabilities in systems driven by parametric noise

For a quantum system weakly coupled to heat reservoirs, a statistical mechanical theory is developed in a formalism that dovetails perfectly with phenomenological thermodynamics. The present model is a modification of the many-reservoir model by Bergmann and Lebowitz. The method to be used here is based on the explicit introduction of external forces which bring about a deviation from equilibrium. These forces are assumed to arise from mechanical interaction with its surrounding which can be characterized thermodynamically. By an appropriate choice of reservoirs the Liouville-von Neumann equation is found to describe a heat conducting system. The nonequilibrium density matrices which describe such a system are found explicitly for some interesting cases. With these density matrices we obtain an expression for entropy production.     

Creation, Dissipation and Recycling of Resources in Non-Equilibrium Systems

In this article, we define stochastic dynamics for a system coupled to reservoirs. The rules for forward and backward transitions are related by a generalized detailed balance identity involving the system and its reservoirs. We compare the variation of information and of entropy. We define the Carnot dissipation and prove that it can be expressed in terms of cyclic transformations. Lower bounds for partial dissipations are also studied, as well as the effect of switching off certain reservoirs. We also study the near degeneracy of the stochastic matrix, relate it to phase transitions and we show that the reduced dynamics on the set of phases is a permutation. Finally, we relate these concepts to heat, work and more generally to the dissipation and creation of resources, in general systems.     

ThermoElectric Transport Properties of a Chain of Quantum Dots with Self-Consistent Reservoirs

We introduce a model for charge and heat transport based on the Landauer-Büttiker scattering approach. The system consists of a chain of N quantum dots, each of them being coupled to a particle reservoir. Additionally, the left and right ends of the chain are coupled to two particle reservoirs. All these reservoirs are independent and can be described by any of the standard physical distributions: Maxwell-Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein. In the linear response regime, and under some assumptions, we first describe the general transport properties of the system. Then we impose the self-consistency condition, i.e. we fix the boundary values (T _L,μ _L) and (T _R,μ _R), and adjust the parameters (T _i ,μ _i ), for i=1,…,N, so that the net average electric and heat currents into all the intermediate reservoirs vanish. This condition leads to expressions for the temperature and chemical potential profiles along the system, which turn out to be independent of the distribution describing the reservoirs. We also determine the average electric and heat currents flowing through the system and present some numerical results, using random matrix theory, showing that these currents are typically governed by Ohm and Fourier laws.     

Impact of thermostat on interfacial thermal conductance prediction from non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations

The knowledge of interfacial thermal conductance (ITC) is key to understand thermal transport in nanostructures. The non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulation is a useful tool to calculate the ITC. In this study, we investigate the impact of thermostat on the prediction of the ITC. The Langevin thermostat is found to result in larger ITC than the Nose-Hoover thermostat. In addition, the results from NEMD simulations with the Nose-Hoover thermostat exhibit strong size effect of thermal reservoirs. Detailed spectral heat flux decomposition and modal temperature calculation reveal that the acoustic phonons in hot and cold thermal reservoirs are of smaller temperature difference than optical phonons when using the Nose-Hoover thermostat, while phonons in the Langevin thermostat are of identical temperatures. Such a non-equilibrium state of phonons in the case of the Nose-Hoover thermostat reduces the heat flux of low-to-middle-frequency phonons. We also discuss how enlarging the reservoirs or adding an epitaxial rough wall to the reservoirs affects the predicted ITC, and find that these attempts could help to thermalize the phonons, but still underestimate the heat flux from low-frequency phonons.