Nonequilibrium free energy and information flow of a double quantum-dot system with Coulomb coupling

We build a double quantum-dot system with Coulomb coupling and aim at studying connections among the entropy production, free energy, and information flow. By utilizing concepts in stochastic thermodynamics and graph theory analysis, Clausius and nonequilibrium free energy inequalities are built to interpret local second law of thermodynamics for subsystems. A fundamental set of cycle fluxes and affinities is identified to decompose two inequalities by using Schnakenberg's network theory. Results show that the thermodynamic irreversibility has energy-related and information-related contributions. A global cycle associated with the feedback-induced information flow would pump electrons against the bias voltage, which implements a Maxwell demon.     

Feedback control in a coupled Brownian ratchet

On the basis of the double-well ratchet potential which can be calculated theoretically and implemented experimentally, the influences of the time delay, the coupling constant, and the asymmetric parameter of the potential on the performance of a delayed feedback ratchet consisting of two Brownian particles coupled mutually with a linear elastic force are investigated. The centre-of-mass velocity of two coupled Brownian particles, the average effective diffusion coefficient, and the Pe number are calculated. It is found that the parameters are affected by not only the time delay and coupling constant but also the asymmetric parameter of the double-well ratchet potential. It is also found that the enhancement of the current may be obtained by varying the coupling constant of the system for the weak coupling case. It is expected that the results obtained here may be observed in some physical and biological systems.     

有限系统中的若干热力学问题

对偏离热力学极限条件的有限系统中的若干基本热力学问题作些探讨.结果表明,尺度效应使系统产生一系列新的物理特性,使得统计物理教科书中诸多人们熟悉的结论对有限系统不再适用.     

Expressions for Entropy Production Rate of Fuel Cells

基于燃料电池的一般模型,应用电化学和热力学理论导出燃料电池系统在不同条件下熵产生率的表示式．为了分析存在实际燃料电池中不可逆损失的影响,引进燃料电池的等效电路,直接将燃料电池的不可逆因子表示为内电阻、漏电阻和负载电阻的函数．进而计算燃料电池的最大输出功率和效率,讨论燃料电池的优化运行,确定负载电阻的匹配条件,从而得到一些有意义的结果．     

理想量子气体的尺度效应

根据欧拉-麦克劳林(Euler-MacLaurin)公式,导出有限理想量子气体的热力学量表达式,揭示系统尺度和边界形状对其性质的影响.结果表明,有限尺度效应导致了一系列与热力学极限条件下不同的性质特征,如系统的非广延性和压强的各向异性等.     

The Onsager reciprocity relation and generalized efficiency of a thermal Brownian motor

Based on a general model of Brownian motors, the Onsager coefficients and generalized efficiency of a thermal Brownian motor are calculated analytically. It is found that the Onsager reciprocity relation holds and the Onsager coefficients are not affected by the kinetic energy change due to the particle's motion. Only when the heat leak in the system is negligible can the determinant of the Onsager matrix vanish. Moreover, the influence of the main parameters characterizing the model on the generalized efficiency of the Brownian motor is discussed in detail. The characteristic curves of the generalized efficiency varying with these parameters are presented, and the maximum generalized efficiency and the corresponding optimum parameters are determined. The results obtained here are of general significance. They are used to analyze the performance characteristics of the Brownian motors operating in the three interesting cases with zero heat leak, zero average drift velocity or a linear response relation, so that some important conclusions in current references are directly included in some limit cases of the present paper.     

The heat and work of quantum thermodynamic processes with quantum coherence

Energy is often partitioned into heat and work by two independent paths corresponding to the change in the eigenenergies or the probability distributions of a quantum system. The discrepancies of the heat and work for various quantum thermodynamic processes have not been well characterized in literature. Here we show how the work in quantum machines is differentially related to the isochoric, isothermal, and adiabatic processes. We prove that the energy exchanges during the quantum isochoric and isothermal processes are simply depending on the change in the eigenenergies or the probability distributions. However, for a time-dependent system in a non-adiabatic quantum evolution, the transitions between the different quantum states representing the quantum coherence can affect the essential thermodynamic properties, and thus the general definitions of the heat and work should be clarified with respect to the microscopic generic time-dependent system. By integrating the coherence effects in the exactly-solvable dynamics of quantum-spin precession, the internal energy is rigorously transferred as the work in the thermodynamic adiabatic process. The present study demonstrates that the quantum adiabatic process is sufficient but not necessary for the thermodynamic adiabatic process.     

Incomplete nonextensive statistics and the zeroth law of thermodynamics

On the basis of the entropy of incomplete statistics (IS) and the joint probability factorization condition, two controversial problems existing in IS are investigated: one is what expression of the internal energy is reasonable for a composite system and the other is whether the traditional zeroth law of thermodynamics is suitable for IS. Some new equivalent expressions of the internal energy of a composite system are derived through accurate mathematical calculation. Moreover, a self-consistent calculation is used to expound that the zeroth law of thermodynamics is also suitable for IS, but it cannot be proven theoretically. Finally, it is pointed out that the generalized zeroth law of thermodynamics for incomplete nonextensive statistics is unnecessary and the nonextensive assumptions for the composite internal energy will lead to mathematical contradiction.     

玻色气体的量子简并性对不可逆布雷顿制冷循环性能的影响

基于不可逆布雷顿制冷循环模型和理想玻色气体的状态方程,导出以玻色气体为工质的布雷顿制冷循环的输入功、制冷系数、制冷量等重要参数的表示式,由此讨论玻色气体的量子简并性和不可逆绝热过程对循环性能的影响,揭示以玻色气体为工质的不可逆布雷顿制冷循环的一般性能特性,从而导出一些重要结论．进而给出几种特殊情况下循环的性能特性．得到的结果有助于进一步了解经典布雷顿制冷循环和量子布雷顿制冷循环之间的区别和联系．     

二级不可逆磁Brayton制冷循环性能分析及参数优化

建立受有限速率热传导和绝热过程不可逆性影响的二级磁Brayton制冷循环模型,导出循环的性能系数和制冷率表达式,分析等磁场过程的磁场比、绝热不可逆因子、等磁中冷过程等对二级不可逆磁Brayton制冷循环最大制冷率及相关参数的影响,所得结论能为提高磁制冷机的循环性能提供参数设计参考.