Regensburg 2010 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 35: Posters: Statistical Physics, Evolution, and Networks

BP 35.5: Poster

Donnerstag, 25. März 2010, 17:15–20:00, Poster B2

Finite-time thermodynamics and cyclic engines — •David Abreu and Udo Seifert — II. Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Stuttgart, 70550 Stuttgart, Germany

We study the finite-time thermodynamics of two simple systems and optimize the efficiency of a cyclic engine based on those two models. In the first case, the particle has two energy levels, one of which controlled by an external parameter ; in the second case, the particle is trapped in a harmonic potential whose position and stiffness are two externally controlled parameter. In both cases, we perform a measurement at the beginning and consider identical initial and final boundary conditions in energy. We show that optimization leads to discontinuous protocols.
The second step consists in conceiving an optimal cyclic engine based on those two finite-time models. As opposed to the two-level model where the initial position is binary, the continuous model presents a different initial distribution at the beginning of each cycle, which leads to different solutions of the Fokker-Planck equation i.e. different optimal protocols. We emphasize the role of the measurement in the process and analyze the consequences of a feedback control during one cycle.