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Extreme-Temperature Single-Particle Heat Engine

M. Message1, F. Cerisola2,*, J. D. Pritchett1, K. O’Flynn1, Y. Ren1, M. Rashid1, J. Anders2,3, and J. Millen1,4,†

  • *Contact author: f.cerisola@exeter.ac.uk
  • †Contact author: james.millen@kcl.ac.uk
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 217101 – Published 19 November, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/2g1j-6x95

Abstract

There are many exotic thermodynamic processes that are hard to study in nature. Here, we synthesize a structured environment to explore the extremes of thermodynamics. We present an engine running at extreme temperatures of above ten Megakelvin. Our underdamped engine is realised by electrically levitating and controlling a charged microparticle in vacuum. Giant fluctuations are observed in the engine’s heat exchange with the environment, while its efficiency shows stochastic events where more work is performed by the engine than heat consumed. Moreover, the nonuniformity of the synthetic environment leads to the particle experiencing position dependent diffusion, a critical phenomenon in microscale biological processes. We theoretically account for the effects of multiplicative noise and find excellent agreement with the observed behavior.

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Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 217101– Published 19 November, 2025
  • Received 7 March 2025
  • Revised 13 June 2025
  • Accepted 14 August 2025
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