Nanoscale Heat Engine Beyond the Carnot Limit

Dear Gang,

Maybe this is authentic? I am NOT an expert, just a bystander and onlooker at the proposals and counter arguments for overunity. Why won't this one work?

We consider a quantum Otto cycle for a time-dependent harmonic oscillator coupled to a squeezed thermal reservoir. We show that the efficiency at maximum power increases with the degree of squeezing, surpassing the standard Carnot limit and approaching unity exponentially for large squeezing parameters. We further propose an experimental scheme to implement such a model system by using a single trapped ion in a linear Paul trap with special geometry. Our analytical investigations are supported by Monte Carlo simulations that demonstrate the feasibility of our proposal. For realistic trap parameters, an increase of the efficiency at maximum power of up to a factor of 4 is reached, largely exceeding the Carnot bound.

American Physical Society

reply to post by spacedonk


Great find. While I myself am constantly ( it seems sometimes ) battling ' heat ' at the nan & micro scale, a novel approach to actually creating it is useful. The current box I'm thinking in says. ' know thine enemy ' . But, I'm focused on my own crap. Sorry.

I do prefer ' compression ' ( or something /anything else ) over squeezing.

reply to post by spacedonk


It is an experiment proposal. I am not sure what your question is geared towards. Several ways to test the theory. Super computer or do the experiment.
Everything else is just conjecture and educated or not guessing.

reply to post by spacedonk


Cool, hope this is the real deal!

After all if what can be imagined can be achieved It has to happen some day!

I'm sure greater minds will soon chime in and tell us of the sheer folly of such a device and why thermodynamics says its an impossibility.