Finding power in temperature!

The edge of absolute zero temperature is now routinely reachable. In Tyler's group, they explore these regimes with ultracold droplets of dilute gases. While the experiments provide a playground for quantum physics, they have also proved a testbed for exotic particle-like behaviour. Control over these “particles” has enabled them to explore “negative absolute zero” temperature, which is hotter than any positive temperature state of the system.

How do the concepts of heat and work translate into the quantum regime? Viji explores this by theoretically examining a quantum version of the Otto engine. This engine is driven by atomic interactions in a gas of ultracold atoms. They quantify the engine's performance and evaluate its figures of merit.