A quantum-dot heat engine operating close to the thermodynamic efficiency limits.

Cyclical heat engines are a paradigm of classical thermodynamics, but are impractical for miniaturization because they rely on moving parts. A more recent concept is particle-exchange (PE) heat engines, which uses energy filtering to control a thermally driven particle flow between two heat reservoirs1,2. As they do not require moving parts and can be realized in solid-state materials, they are suitable for low-power applications and miniaturization. It was predicted that PE engines could reach the same thermodynamically ideal efficiency limits as those accessible to cyclical engines3-6, but this prediction has not been verified experimentally. Here, we demonstrate a PE heat engine based on a quantum dot (QD) embedded into a semiconductor nanowire. We directly measure the engine's steady-state electric power output and combine it with the calculated electronic heat flow to determine the electronic efficiency η. We find that at the maximum power conditions, η is in agreement with the Curzon-Ahlborn efficiency6-9 and that the overall maximum η is in excess of 70% of the Carnot efficiency while maintaining a finite power output. Our results demonstrate that thermoelectric power conversion can, in principle, be achieved close to the thermodynamic limits, with direct relevance for future hot-carrier photovoltaics10, on-chip coolers or energy harvesters for quantum technologies.

Large nuclear spin polarization in gate-defined quantum dots using a single-domain nanomagnet.

The electron-nuclei (hyperfine) interaction is central to spin qubits in solid state systems. It can be a severe decoherence source but also allows dynamic access to the nuclear spin states. We study a double quantum dot exposed to an on-chip single-domain nanomagnet and show that its inhomogeneous magnetic field crucially modifies the complex nuclear spin dynamics such that the Overhauser field tends to compensate external magnetic fields. This turns out to be beneficial for polarizing the nuclear spin ensemble. We reach a nuclear spin polarization of ≃50%, unrivaled in lateral dots, and explain our manipulation technique using a comprehensive rate equation model.

A nanoscale standard for the Seebeck coefficient.

The Seebeck coefficient, a key parameter describing a material's thermoelectric performance, is generally difficult to measure, and no intrinsic calibration standard exists. Quantum dots and single electron tunneling devices with sharp transmission resonances spaced by many kT have a material-independent Seebeck coefficient that depends only on the electronic charge and the average device temperature T. Here we propose the use of a quantum dot to create an intrinsic, nanoscale standard for the Seebeck coefficient and discuss its implementation.

Measuring temperature gradients over nanometer length scales.

When a quantum dot is subjected to a thermal gradient, the temperature of electrons entering the dot can be determined from the dot's thermocurrent if the conductance spectrum and background temperature are known. We demonstrate this technique by measuring the temperature difference across a 15 nm quantum dot embedded in a nanowire. This technique can be used when the dot's energy states are separated by many kT and will enable future quantitative investigations of electron-phonon interaction, nonlinear thermoelectric effects, and the efficiency of thermoelectric energy conversion in quantum dots.