Abstract
We investigate the fundamental dimensional limits to thermodynamic machines. In particular, we show that it is possible to construct self-contained refrigerators (i.e., not requiring external sources of work) consisting of only a small number of qubits and/or qutrits. We present three different models, consisting of two qubits, a qubit and a qutrit with nearest-neighbor interactions, and a single qutrit, respectively. We then investigate the fundamental limits to their performance; in particular, we show that it is possible to cool towards absolute zero.
| Translated title of the contribution | How small can thermal machines be? The smallest possible refrigerator |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Article number | 130401 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-4 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Physical Review Letters |
| Volume | 105 |
| Issue number | 13 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 21 Sep 2010 |