Although many of today’s accepted theories of classical thermodynamics predate even the industrial revolution they helped to propel, many open questions remain around how these ideas translate to the level of single quantum systems. In particular, the potential for superposition of states has as yet unexplored implications for thermodynamic behavior. Now, a collaboration of researchers in Japan, the Ukraine and the U.S. has produced a quantum device that can not only behave analogously to a heat engine and a refrigerator, but also a superposition of both at the same time.
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Source: Phys.org