A Single-Molecule Quantum Heat Engine
Authors:
- Serhii VolosheniukSVSerhii Volosheniuk
- Riccardo ConteRCRiccardo Conte
- Eugenia PyurbeevaEPEugenia Pyurbeeva
- Thomas BaumTBThomas Baum
- Manuel Vilas-VarelaMVManuel Vilas-Varela
- Saleta FernándezSFSaleta Fernández
- Diego PeñaDPDiego Peña
- Herre S. J. van der ZantHZHerre S. J. van der Zant
- Pascal GehringPGPascal Gehring
Preprint
Abstract
Particle-exchange heat engines operate without moving parts or time-dependent driving, relying solely on static energy-selective transport. Here, we realize a particle-exchange quantum heat engine based on a single diradical molecule, only a few nanometers in size. We experimentally investigate its operation at low temperatures and demonstrate that both the power output and efficiency are significantly enhanced by Kondo correlations, reaching up to 53 % of the Curzon-Ahlborn limit. These results establish molecular-scale particle-exchange engines as promising candidates for low-temperature applications where extreme miniaturization and energy efficiency are paramount.Keywords
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