Exploring the operation of a tiny heat engine

Details Exploring the operation of a tiny heat engine Exploring the operation of a tiny heat engine

2006-05-09

arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0605233v1

Physics

Condensed Matter

Statistical Mechanics

8 pages and 13 figures

Scientific paper

10.1016/j.physa.2007.05.035

We model a tiny heat engine as a Brownian particle that moves in a viscous medium in a sawtooth potential (with or without load) assisted by $\it {alternately}$ placed hot and cold heat baths along its path. We find closed form expression for the steady state current as a function of the model parameters. This enables us to deal with the energetics of the model and evaluate either its efficiency or its coefficient of performance depending upon whether the model functions either as a heat engine or as a refrigerator, respectively. We also study the way current changes with changes in parameters of interest. When we plot the phase diagrams showing the way the model operates, we not only find regions where it functions as a heat engine and as a refrigerator but we also identify a region where the model functions as neither of the two.

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