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Abstract It is an established fact that quantum coherences have thermodynamic value. The natural question arises, whether other genuine quantum properties such as entanglement can also be exploited to extract thermodynamic work. In the present analysis, we show that the ergotropy can be expressed as a function of the quantum mutual information, which demonstrates the contributions to the extractable work from classical and quantum correlations. More specifically, we analyze bipartite quantum systems with locally thermal states, such that the only contribution to the ergotropy originates in the correlations. Our findings are illustrated for a two-qubit system collectively coupled to a thermal bath.
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This content will become publicly available on March 28, 2026
Work extraction from a controlled quantum emitter
Abstract We investigate how an external driving field can control the amount of extractable work from a quantum emitter, a two-level quantum system (TLS) interacting with a photonic environment. In this scenario, the TLS functions as a quantum battery, interacting with the photonic bath that discharges it while the control field recharges it. Ergotropy serves as our measure of the extractable work from the quantum system. We systematically analyze how the ergotropy of the system evolves as it interacts with the photonic bath under the control of either a continuous driving field or a periodic pulse sequence. The coherent and incoherent contributions to the total ergotropy for various initial states are calculated. The role of detuning between the driving field and the emission frequency of the TLS, as well as the initial state of the system in work extraction, are investigated for continuous and periodic pulse-driving fields. We show that detuning has little impact on work extraction for a system driven by a periodic sequence of instantaneous pulses. However, for a continuously driven system, as the system approaches its steady state, ergotropy increases with detuning increases.
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- PAR ID:
- 10646781
- Publisher / Repository:
- IOP Publishing
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Physics: Photonics
- Volume:
- 7
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 2515-7647
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 025023
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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