Quantum Zeno Engines and Heat Pumps

Abstract

We study the implementation of quantum engines and quantum heat pumps where the quantum adiabatic transformations are replaced by quantum Zeno strokes. During these strokes, frequent measurements are selectively performed on the external state of the system avoiding transition between different levels. This effectively delivers almost ideal isentropic transformations. We concentrate on the characterization of the performance of a quantum Zeno heat pump implemented with a quantum harmonic oscillator, showing that optimal performance can be achieved faster than with shortcut-to-adiabaticity techniques.