Speaker: Maicol Ochoa, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Title: Quantum Effects on the Thermodynamics of Nanoscale Engines
Abstract:Nanoscale fabrication techniques and modern single molecule spectroscopies provide tools for the design, control and study of systems made up of just a few atoms, significantly far from the thermodynamic limit. In this regime, both thermal and quantum mechanical fluctuations are essential and cannot be neglected. A complete description of nanoscale and molecular engines must, therefore, account for these effects in the characterization of their thermodynamic properties. During my talk, I will introduce the concepts and techniques that we have developed to investigate the interplay between quantum dynamics and thermodynamic efficiency in nanoscale systems. As an illustration, I will describe model systems for nanoscale thermoelectric devices, electronic rectifiers, and molecular photocells.