Researchers at the University of Basel have developed a theoretical framework aimed at bringing thermodynamics and quantum physics together in a consistent way for tiny machines made from atoms and light, according to ScienceDaily.
The work focuses on a model in which an atom sits in a cavity between two mirrors, absorbing and emitting light particles while a laser keeps adding photons and some light escapes through the mirrors. The setup is described as a driven-dissipative system that both takes in energy and loses it to the environment.
In earlier work, the team showed that light leaving the cavity should not automatically be labeled as waste heat, because some of that energy can still do useful work on another quantum system. Their latest study examined how that distinction holds up as the system approaches the semi-classical limit, where the atom is treated quantum mechanically but the light is treated more like a classical wave.
According to the researchers, their math shows the theory remains consistent when part of the emitted light is counted as useful work. They also found that their approach captures how quantum effects can reduce fluctuations in the emitted light, which may be useful for quantum technologies and precision measurements.
