Influence of an indefinite causal order on an Otto heat engine

Abstract

Abstract The quantum effect plays an important role in quantum thermodynamics, and recently the application of an indefinite causal order to quantum thermodynamics has attracted much attention. Based on two trapped ions, we propose a scheme to add an indefinite causal order to the isochoric cooling stroke of an Otto engine through reservoir engineering. Then, we observe that the quasi-static efficiency of this heat engine is far beyond the efficiency of a normal Otto heat engine and may reach one. When the power is its maximum, the efficiency is also much higher than that of a normal Otto heat engine. This enhancement may originate from the non-equilibrium of the reservoir and the measurement on the control qubit.