Hou Waner, Yao Wanchao, Zhao Xingyu, Rehan Kamran, Li Yi, Li Yue, Lutz Eric, Lin Yiheng, Du Jiangfeng
CAS Key Laboratory of Microscale Magnetic Resonance and School of Physical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Scientific Instrument Development and Application, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
Nat Commun. 2025 Jun 2;16(1):5127. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-60179-5.
Energy efficiency and quantum advantage are two important features of quantum devices. We here report an experimental realization that combines both features in a quantum engine coupled to a quantum battery that stores the produced work, using a single ion in a linear Paul trap. We begin by establishing the quantum nature of the device by observing nonclassical work oscillations with the number of cycles as verified by energy measurements of the battery. We moreover apply shortcut-to-adiabaticity techniques to suppress quantum friction and improve work production. While the average energy cost of the shortcut protocol is only about 3%, the work output is enhanced by up to approximately 33%, making the machine significantly more energy efficient. We additionally show that the quantum engine consistently outperforms its classical counterpart in this regime. Our results pave the way for energy efficient machines with quantum-enhanced performance.
能量效率和量子优势是量子器件的两个重要特性。我们在此报告一项实验成果，该成果利用线性保罗阱中的单个离子，在一个与存储所产生功的量子电池相耦合的量子引擎中，将这两个特性结合起来。我们首先通过观察非经典功振荡以及电池能量测量所验证的循环次数，来确立该器件的量子特性。此外，我们应用绝热捷径技术来抑制量子摩擦并提高功的产生。虽然绝热捷径协议的平均能量成本仅约为3%，但功输出提高了约33%，使该机器的能源效率显著提高。我们还表明，在这种情况下，量子引擎始终优于其经典对应物。我们的结果为具有量子增强性能的高效能机器铺平了道路。
