Photoelectric converters with quantum coherence.
Photon impingement is capable of liberating electrons in electronic devices and driving the electron flux from the lower chemical potential to higher chemical potential. Previous studies hinted that the thermodynamic efficiency of a nanosized photoelectric converter at maximum power is bounded by the Curzon-Ahlborn efficiency η_{CA}. In this study, we apply quantum effects to design a photoelectric converter based on a three-level quantum dot (QD) interacting with fermionic baths and photons. We show that, by adopting a pair of suitable degenerate states, quantum coherences induced by the couplings of QDs to sunlight and fermion baths can coexist steadily in nanoelectronic systems. Our analysis indicates that the efficiency at maximum power is no longer limited to η_{CA} through manipulation of carefully controlled quantum coherences.
Beijing Computational Science Research Center, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China.
Shan-He
SH
Su
Beijing Computational Science Research Center, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China.
Chang-Pu
CP
Sun
Institute of Quantum Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
Sheng-Wen
SW
Li
Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, People's Republic of China.
Jin-Can
JC
Chen