title: Thermodynamics of a stochastic twin elevator.
abstract: We study the nonequilibrium thermodynamics of a single particle with two available energy levels, in contact with a classical (Maxwell-Boltzmann) or quantum (Bose-Einstein) heat bath. The particle can undergo transitions between the levels via thermal activation or deactivation. The energy levels are alternately raised at a given rate regardless of occupation by the particle, maintaining a fixed energy gap equal to ε between them. We explicitly calculate the work, heat, and entropy production rates. The efficiency in both the classical and the quantum case goes to a limit between 100 and 50% that depends on the relative rates of particle transitions and level elevation. In the classical problem we explicitly find the large deviation functions for heat, work, and internal energy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0340, USA.
authors.forename: Niraj
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Van den Broeck
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lindenberg
mesh_terms: D019277:Entropy; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011789:Quantum Theory; D013269:Stochastic Processes