Power, efficiency, and fluctuations in steady-state heat engines.

Benenti, Giuliano; Casati, Giulio; Wang, Jiao · Phys Rev E · 2020

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

We consider the quality factor Q, which quantifies the trade-off between power, efficiency, and fluctuations in steady-state heat engines modeled by dynamical systems. We show that the nonlinear scattering theory, in both classical and quantum mechanics, sets the bound Q=3/8 when approaching the Carnot efficiency. On the other hand, interacting, nonintegrable, and momentum-conserving systems can achieve the value Q=1/2, which is the universal upper bound in linear response. This result shows that interactions are necessary to achieve the optimal performance of a steady-state heat engine.