Heat engines are thermodynamic physical systems that convert heat energy into mechanical work by exploiting a temperature difference between a high-temperature heat source and a low-temperature heat sink. They operate cyclically, undergoing a sequence of thermodynamic processes (e.g., isothermal, adiabatic, isobaric, or isochoric) that return the working substance to its initial state after each cycle. Their performance is characterized by thermal efficiency, defined as the ratio of net work output to heat input, and fundamentally limited by the Carnot efficiency, which depends solely on the reservoir temperatures and imposes an upper bound dictated by the second law of thermodynamics.
Quantum catalysts are specialized resources that enable quantum state transformations previously thought impossible, holding promise for advancements in quantum computing and thermodynamics. A recent international study has ...
Quantum Physics
Mar 17, 2026
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21
Over the past decades, energy engineers have developed increasingly advanced battery technologies that can store more energy, charge faster and maintain their performance for longer. In recent years, some researchers have ...
New research from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in collaboration with The Ohio State University and Amphenol Corporation, challenges conventional understanding about controlling heat flow in solid ...
Condensed Matter
Mar 5, 2026
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67
Researchers from Skoltech have published a paper in the journal Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena presenting an analysis of steady propagating combustion waves—from slow flames to supersonic detonation waves. The study relies ...
General Physics
Feb 26, 2026
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11
For quantum computers to function, they must be kept at extremely low temperatures. However, today's cooling systems also generate noise that interferes with the fragile quantum information they are meant to protect. Now, ...
Superconductivity
Jan 29, 2026
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67
To an untrained eye, the aircraft engine sitting outside of a Cincinnati facility in December might have looked like standard hardware. But NASA and GE Aerospace researchers watching the unit fire up for a demonstration knew ...
Space Exploration
Jan 27, 2026
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93
Physicists from Trinity College Dublin believe new insights into the behavior of light may offer a new means of solving one of science's oldest challenges—how to turn heat into useful energy.
Optics & Photonics
Jan 9, 2026
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150
Quantum thermal machines are devices that leverage quantum mechanical effects to convert energy into useful work or cooling, similarly to traditional heat engines or refrigerators. Thermodynamics theory suggests that increasing ...
Two physicists at the University of Stuttgart have proven that the Carnot principle, a central law of thermodynamics, does not apply to objects on the atomic scale whose physical properties are linked (so-called correlated ...
General Physics
Oct 16, 2025
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1350
Scientists have created the world's hottest engine running at temperatures hotter than those reached in the sun's core. The team from King's College London and collaborators believe their platform could provide an unparalleled ...
General Physics
Oct 9, 2025
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93
