We determine the statistics of work in isothermal volume changes of a classical ideal gas consisting of a single particle. Combining our results with the findings of Lua and Grosberg [J. Chem. Phys. B 109, 6805 (2005)] on adiabatic expansions and compressions we then analyze the joint probability distribution of heat and work for a microscopic, non-equilibrium Carnot cycle and determine its efficiency at maximum power.
Thermodynamic process at zero-entropy-production (EP) rate has been regarded as a reversible process. A process achieving the Carnot efficiency is also considered as a reversible process. Therefore, the condition, `Carnot efficiency at zero-EP rate could be regarded as a strong equivalent condition for a reversible process. Here, however, we show that the detailed balance can be broken for a zero-EP rate process and even for a process achieving the Carnot efficiency at zero-EP rate in an example of a quantum-dot model. This clearly demonstrates that `Carnot efficiency at zero-EP rate or just zero-EP rate is not a sufficient condition for a reversible process.
We study asymmetric exclusion processes (TASEP) on a nonuniform one-dimensional ring consisting of two segments having unequal hopping rates, or {em defects}. We allow weak particle nonconservation via Langmuir kinetics (LK), that are parameterised by generic unequal attachment and detachment rates. For an extended defect, in the thermodynamic limit the system generically displays inhomogeneous density profiles in the steady state - the faster segment is either in a phase with spatially varying density having no density discontinuity, or a phase with a discontinuous density changes. Nonequilibrium phase transitions between them are controlled by the inhomogeneity and LK. The slower segment displays only macroscopically uniform bulk density profiles in the steady states, reminiscent of the maximal current phase of TASEP but with a bulk density generally different from half. With a point defect, there are low and high density spatially uniform phases as well, in addition to the inhomogeneous density profiles observed for an extended defect. In all the cases, it is argued that the the mean particle density in the steady state is controlled only by the ratio of the LK attachment and detachment rates.
The Carnot cycle imposes a fundamental upper limit to the efficiency of a macroscopic motor operating between two thermal baths. However, this bound needs to be reinterpreted at microscopic scales, where molecular bio-motors and some artificial micro-engines operate. As described by stochastic thermodynamics, energy transfers in microscopic systems are random and thermal fluctuations induce transient decreases of entropy, allowing for possible violations of the Carnot limit. Despite its potential relevance for the development of a thermodynamics of small systems, an experimental study of microscopic Carnot engines is still lacking. Here we report on an experimental realization of a Carnot engine with a single optically trapped Brownian particle as working substance. We present an exhaustive study of the energetics of the engine and analyze the fluctuations of the finite-time efficiency, showing that the Carnot bound can be surpassed for a small number of non-equilibrium cycles. As its macroscopic counterpart, the energetics of our Carnot device exhibits basic properties that one would expect to observe in any microscopic energy transducer operating with baths at different temperatures. Our results characterize the sources of irreversibility in the engine and the statistical properties of the efficiency -an insight that could inspire novel strategies in the design of efficient nano-motors.
We study the possibility of achieving the Carnot efficiency in a finite-power underdamped Brownian Carnot cycle. Recently, it was reported that the Carnot efficiency is achievable in a general class of finite-power Carnot cycles in the vanishing limit of the relaxation times. Thus, it may be interesting to clarify how the efficiency and power depend on the relaxation times by using a specific model. By evaluating the heat-leakage effect intrinsic in the underdamped dynamics with the instantaneous adiabatic processes, we demonstrate that the compatibility of the Carnot efficiency and finite power is achieved in the vanishing limit of the relaxation times in the small temperature-difference regime. Furthermore, we show that this result is consistent with a trade-off relation between power and efficiency by explicitly deriving the relation of our cycle in terms of the relaxation times.
We study the many-body localization aspects of single-particle mobility edges in fermionic systems. We investigate incommensurate lattices and random disorder Anderson models. Many-body localization and quantum nonergodic properties are studied by comparing entanglement and thermal entropy, and by calculating the scaling of subsystem particle number fluctuations, respectively. We establish a nonergodic extended phase as a generic intermediate phase (between purely ergodic extended and nonergodic localized phases) for the many-body localization transition of non-interacting fermions where the entanglement entropy manifests a volume law (`extended), but there are large fluctuations in the subsystem particle numbers (`nonergodic). We argue such an intermediate phase scenario may continue holding even for the many-body localization in the presence of interactions as well. We find for many-body states in non-interacting 1d Aubry-Andre and 3d Anderson models that the entanglement entropy density and the normalized particle-number fluctuation have discontinuous jumps at the localization transition where the entanglement entropy is sub-thermal but obeys the volume law. In the vicinity of the localization transition we find that both the entanglement entropy and the particle number fluctuations obey a single parameter scaling. We argue using numerical and theoretical results that such a critical scaling behavior should persist for the interacting many-body localization problem with important consequences. Our work provides persuasive evidence in favor of there being two transitions in many-body systems with single-particle mobility edges, the first one indicating a transition from the purely localized nonergodic many-body localized phase to a nonergodic extended many-body metallic phase, and the second one being a transition eventually to the usual ergodic many-body extended phase.