Maximum power of a two-dimensional quantum mechanical engine with spherical symmetry

Abstract

We study two-dimensional quantum Carnot engines of spherical symmetry by considering the case of a particle on the surface of a sphere of changing radius. The Carnot cycle is built allowing the state of the system to change with the specific constrains discussed in Bender's work for Carnot cycles. After studying the Carnot cycle, we maximize the output power and efficiency of the system to show that as it happens in one dimension systems:(i) the efficiency can be optimized; being its optimal value independent of the parameters describing the system and that the optimal output power at the optimal efficiency is non-zero. (ii) The optimal efficiency of the spherical system is much bigger than that of the one-dimensional quantum well considered in Abe's work.