Quantum Engines in Ultracold Gases

Objective

Engines are ubiquitous: Heat engines have been and still are the driving force of modern life since the industrial revolution, and molecular motors power life on earth with astonishing efficiency. Current technological miniaturization is pushing engine design into areas where quantum properties need to be considered, which can drastically change the performance of engine-like processes. While initial mechanisms for motor operation have been demonstrated, the operation of autonomous quantum engines or extracting work from such a motor is elusive. QuantumEngine will combine novel concepts and innovative methods of ultracold atoms to develop autonomous quantum engines in the single-atom and many-body limits that provide cyclic motion or work. First, it will engineer energy conversion in such quantum systems at the level of single atoms and single energy quanta to increase efficiency and open the door to activate quantum matter. Second, it will unravel the effects of quantum properties on the operation of motors, including the long-standing question of quantum Brownian motion. Third, autonomous quantum engines in the single-atom and many-body regimes will be realized and characterized as novel leading-edge platforms for experimental quantum thermodynamics, shedding light on nonequilibrium hybrid many-body states of matter, light, and mechanics. Thus, the project will open up a unique opportunity to experimentally investigate fundamental and applied questions of quantum thermodynamics, such as efficiency and sustainability issues at the quantum level, with high relevance for emerging quantum technologies. Furthermore, it will enormously impact frontier areas of solid-state simulations, quantum physics, and active matter, potentially establishing new research fields.