The smallest refrigerators can reach maximal efficiency
arXiv:1009.0865 · doi:10.1088/1751-8113/44/49/492002
Abstract
We investigate whether size imposes a fundamental constraint on the efficiency of small thermal machines. We analyse in detail a model of a small self-contained refrigerator consisting of three qubits. We show analytically that this system can reach the Carnot efficiency, thus demonstrating that there exists no complementarity between size and efficiency.
9 pages, 1 figure. v2: published version