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Work measurement in an optomechanical quantum heat engine

  • Ying Dong
  • , Keye Zhang
  • , Francesco Bariani
  • , Pierre Meystre
  • University of Arizona
  • Hangzhou Normal University

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We analyze theoretically measurement schemes of the mean output work and its fluctuations in a recently proposed optomechanical quantum heat engine [Zhang, Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 150602 (2014)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.112.150602]. After showing that this work can be operationally determined by continuous measurements of the intracavity photon number, we discuss both dispersive and absorptive measurement schemes and analyze their back-action effects on the efficiency of the engine. Both measurements are found to reduce the efficiency of the engine, but their back-action is both qualitatively and quantitatively different. For dispersive measurements the efficiency decreases as a result of the mixing of photonic and phononic excitations, while for absorptive measurements, its reduction arises from photon losses due to the interaction with the quantum probe.

Original languageEnglish
Article number033854
JournalPhysical Review A - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
Volume92
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 28 Sep 2015

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