We explore the potential of a spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensate for thermodynamic cycles. For this purpose we propose a quantum heat engine based on a condensate with spin-orbit and Zeeman coupling as a working medium. The cooling and heating are simulated by contacts of the condensate with an external magnetized media and demagnetized media. We examine the condensate ground-state energy and its dependence on the strength of the synthetic spin-orbit and Zeeman couplings and interatomic interaction. Then we study the efficiency of the proposed engine. The cycle has a critical value of spin-orbit coupling related to the engine's maximum efficiency.

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• Quantum thermodynamics
• Ultracold collisions
• Bose gases
• Quantum heat engines & refrigerators
• Perturbative methods