Poisson-shot-noise hybrid machines: efficiency and quasistatic divergence

Abstract

We study stochastic models of a microscopic active heat engine, comprised of an overdamped Brownian particle trapped in a harmonic potential, and in simultaneous contact with thermal (passive) and athermal (active) baths. The interaction with the active bath is modeled as a stochastic force described by Poisson shot-noise (PSN) having a specified amplitude distribution. With analytical calculations and numerical simulations, we study the thermodynamic performance of the machine to quasistatic cyclic protocols analogous to those running two-stroke and Stirling-like engines. For specific parameter ranges, the thermodynamic behavior is that of a $\textit{hybrid machine}$, simultaneously operating as a heat engine with respect to the passive/active baths and as a refrigerator with respect to the passive/active baths. Focusing on the parameter region where the overall performance is such of an engine, we show that the average total extracted work per cycle divided by average total heat intake from the cold baths per cycle may surpass the Carnot efficiency associated with the temperature of the passive baths. Applying the second law for active heat engines, we focus on a bona fide efficiency (bounded by Carnot's efficiency) that incorporates an information-theoretic metric $\mathcal{I}-$ which we call $\textit{quasistatic divergence}-$ quantifying how distinguishable are the engine's statistics in the quasistatic limit with respect to a continually changing equilibrium distribution. We analyze, with theory and numerical simulations, how the PSN shot rate and the degree of non-Gaussianity in the particle position distribution influence the efficiency of the engine, and explore the correlation between non-Gaussianity and efficiency. Our findings reveal optimal PSN shot rates maximizing the engine's efficiency and an intriguing non-bijective relation between efficiency and kurtosis