Abstract
We investigate the heat transport properties of a three-level system coupled to three thermal baths, assuming a model based on superconducting circuit implementations. The system-bath coupling is mediated by resonators which serve as frequency filters for the different qutrit transitions. Taking into account the finite quality factors of the resonators, we find thermal rectification and circulation effects not expected in configurations with perfectly-filtered couplings. Heat leakage in off-resonant transitions can be exploited to make the system work as an ideal diode where heat flows in the same direction between two baths irrespective of the sign of the temperature difference, as well as a perfect heat circulator whose state is phase-reversible.
Highlights
The problem of heat transport and thermodynamic operations related to the dynamics of few level quantum systems in contact to thermal baths has attracted interest for decades [1, 2, 3, 4] which has recently been reactivated in the context of quantum thermodynamics [5, 6, 7]
Questions related to the limitations of refrigeration [8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14], quantum heat engines [15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22], the role of entanglement [23, 24, 25] and fluctuations [26, 14, 27] have been addressed using fewlevel configurations as model systems
Thermal rectification and amplification effects can be used for thermal control via allthermal functionalities [28, 29, 30] such as diodes [31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44] and transistors [45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50]
Summary
The problem of heat transport and thermodynamic operations related to the dynamics of few level quantum systems in contact to thermal baths has attracted interest for decades [1, 2, 3, 4] which has recently been reactivated in the context of quantum thermodynamics [5, 6, 7]. We consider a simple configuration consisting on a qutrit coupled to three thermal baths via three finite quality-factor resonators, see Fig. 1(c) This results in heat leakage due to off-resonant transitions which are detrimental for the optimal performance of the system as a heat engine (either a refrigerator or a heat pump). The thermal rectification properties of the qutrit are robust to heat leakage, which can even give rise to states with a perfect diode effect It introduces a thermal circulation [89, 90] effect that is not operative with ideally filtered couplings.
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