The Ericsson Nano-Brownian Engine in the Quantum Domain

Abstract

We examine here a hitherto unchartered Ericsson motor, operating in the quantum domain. The engine is a nanoscopic system of an electron trapped in a two-dimensional parabolic well and further subjected to an external magnetic field in the third direction. The quantum-coherent cyclotron motion of the electron is de-cohered due to strong interaction with a dissipative quantum heat bath.The calculation employs two different approaches - exact functional integral representation of the partition function and quantum Langevin equations for the operators of the system. Though in equilibrium, both the approaches yield equivalent expressions for the efficiency, the Langevin method opens up further avenues for investigating time dependent properties of the nano motor.