Suppressing coherence effects in quantum-measurement-based engines

Abstract

The recent advances in the study of thermodynamics of microscopic processes have driven the search for new developments in energy converters utilizing quantum effects. We here propose a universal framework to describe the thermodynamics of a quantum engine fueled by quantum projective measurements. Standard quantum thermal machines operating in a finite-time regime with a driven Hamiltonian that does not commute in different times have the performance decreased by the presence of coherence, which is associated with a larger entropy production and irreversibility degree. However, we show that replacing the standard hot thermal reservoir by a projective measurement operation with general basis in the Bloch sphere and controlling the basis angles suitably could improve the performance of the quantum engine as well as decrease the entropy change during the measurement process. Our results go in direction of a generalization of quantum thermal machine models where the fuel comes from general sources beyond the standard thermal reservoir.