A Single-Molecule Quantum Heat Engine
Serhii Volosheniuk (Kavli institute of nanoscience Delft, TU Delft - Applied Sciences)
Riccardo Conte (Kavli institute of nanoscience Delft, TU Delft - Applied Sciences)
Eugenia Pyurbeeva (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Thomas Baum (TU Delft - Applied Sciences, Kavli institute of nanoscience Delft)
Manuel Vilas-Varela (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela)
Saleta Fernández (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela)
Diego Peña (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Galician Innovation Agency)
Herre S.J. van der Zant (Kavli institute of nanoscience Delft, TU Delft - Applied Sciences)
Pascal Gehring (Université Catholique de Louvain)
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Abstract
Particle-exchange heat engines operate without moving parts or time-dependent driving, relying solely on static energy-selective transport. Here, we realize a particle-exchange quantum heat engine based on a single diradical molecule, which is only a few nanometers in size. We experimentally investigate its operation at low temperatures and demonstrate that both the power output and efficiency are significantly enhanced by Kondo correlations, reaching up to 53% of the Curzon-Ahlborn limit. These results establish molecular-scale particle-exchange engines as promising candidates for low-temperature applications where extreme miniaturization and energy efficiency are paramount.