Quantum heat engine based on photon-assisted Cooper pair tunneling

Abstract

We propose and analyze a simple mesoscopic quantum heat engine that exhibits both high-power and high-efficiency. The system consists of a biased Josephson junction coupled to two microwave cavities, with each cavity coupled to a thermal bath. Resonant Cooper pair tunneling occurs with the exchange of photons between cavities, and a temperature difference between the baths can naturally lead to a current against the voltage, and hence work. As a consequence of the unique properties of Cooper-pair tunneling, the heat current is completely separated from the charge current. This combined with the strong energy-selectivity of the process leads to an extremely high efficiency.