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Quantum heat engines based on electronic Mach-Zehnder interferometers

Hofer, Patrick P. LU orcid and Sothmann, Björn (2015) In Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics 91(19).
Abstract

We theoretically investigate the thermoelectric properties of heat engines based on Mach-Zehnder interferometers. The energy dependence of the transmission amplitudes in such setups arises from a difference in the interferometer arm lengths. Any thermoelectric response is thus of purely quantum-mechanical origin. In addition to an experimentally established three-terminal setup, we also consider a two-terminal geometry as well as a four-terminal setup consisting of two interferometers. We find that Mach-Zehnder interferometers can be used as powerful and efficient heat engines which perform well under realistic conditions.

Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
in
Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
volume
91
issue
19
article number
195406
publisher
American Physical Society
external identifiers
  • scopus:84929583916
ISSN
1098-0121
DOI
10.1103/PhysRevB.91.195406
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
d71bc63c-05dc-4474-8b8a-830686ca65b1
date added to LUP
2019-05-14 09:51:14
date last changed
2022-03-02 22:18:44
@article{d71bc63c-05dc-4474-8b8a-830686ca65b1,
  abstract     = {{<p>We theoretically investigate the thermoelectric properties of heat engines based on Mach-Zehnder interferometers. The energy dependence of the transmission amplitudes in such setups arises from a difference in the interferometer arm lengths. Any thermoelectric response is thus of purely quantum-mechanical origin. In addition to an experimentally established three-terminal setup, we also consider a two-terminal geometry as well as a four-terminal setup consisting of two interferometers. We find that Mach-Zehnder interferometers can be used as powerful and efficient heat engines which perform well under realistic conditions.</p>}},
  author       = {{Hofer, Patrick P. and Sothmann, Björn}},
  issn         = {{1098-0121}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{05}},
  number       = {{19}},
  publisher    = {{American Physical Society}},
  series       = {{Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics}},
  title        = {{Quantum heat engines based on electronic Mach-Zehnder interferometers}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.91.195406}},
  doi          = {{10.1103/PhysRevB.91.195406}},
  volume       = {{91}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}