Speaker
Description
A fundamental problem in quantum thermodynamics is to properly quantify the work extractable
from out-of-equilibrium systems. While for closed systems, maximum quantum work extraction is
defined in terms of the ergotropy functional, this question is unclear in open systems interacting
with an environment. The concept of local ergotropy has been proposed, but it presents several
problems, such as it is not guaranteed to be non-increasing in time. Here we introduce the concept
of extended local ergotropy by exploiting the free evolution of the system-environment compound.
At variance with the local ergotropy, the extended local ergotropy is greater, is non-increasing in
time, and activates the potential of work extraction in many cases. We then concentrate on specific
schemes in which we alternate repeated local unitaries and free system-environment evolution. We
provide examples based on the Jaynes-Cummings model, presenting practical protocols and analytic
results that serve as proof of principle for the aforementioned advantages.
| Theme | Theme 1. Energy advantage and cost of quantum technology |
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