At low-temperatures a gas of bosons will undergo a phase transition into a quantum state of matter known as a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), in which a large fraction of the particles will occupy the ground state simultaneously. Here we explore the performance of an endoreversible Otto cycle operating with a harmonically confined Bose gas as the working medium. We analyze the engine operation in three regimes, with the working medium in the BEC phase, in the gas phase, and driven across the BEC transition during each cycle. We find that the unique properties of the BEC phase allow for enhanced engine performance, including increased power output and higher efficiency at maximum power.

In this work, we study the performance of classical and quantum magnetic Otto cycles with a working substance composed of a single graphene quantum dot modeled by the continuum approach with the use of the zigzag boundary condition. Modulating an external/perpendicular magnetic field, in the classical approach, we found a constant behavior in the total work extracted that is not present in the quantum formulation. We find that, in the classical approach, the engine yielded a greater performance in terms of total work extracted and efficiency as compared with its quantum counterpart. In the classical case, this is due to the working substance being in thermal equilibrium at each point of the cycle, maximizing the energy extracted in the adiabatic strokes.

We studied the performance of classical and quantum magnetic Otto cycle with a working substance composed of a single quantum dot using the Fock–Darwin model with the inclusion of the Zeeman interaction. Modulating an external/perpendicular magnetic field, in the classical approach, we found an oscillating behavior in the total work extracted that was not present in the quantum formulation.We found that, in the classical approach, the engine yielded a greater performance in terms of total work extracted and efficiency than when compared with the quantum approach. This is because, in the classical case, the working substance can be in thermal equilibrium at each point of the cycle, which maximizes the energy extracted in the adiabatic strokes.