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The smallest thermal machines - The Second Law, Carnot efficiency, and the role of entanglement

Ralph Silva
University of Bristol

Postgrad seminar: Mathematical Physics and beyond

Organisers: Dale Smith, Rupert Small

ABSTRACT
In this talk, I will introduce some of the recent work on the smallest
possible quantum thermal machines, http://arxiv.org/abs/1106.2138, (not
by me!) especially the statement that the concept of Carnot efficiency not
only extends to the quantum case, but is unique to it (classical machines
can only be sub-efficient). I will also comment on some computational
work on how critical entanglement is to these machines.