Nonuniversality of heat-engine efficiency at maximum power

Abstract

We study the efficiency of a simple quantum dot heat engine at maximum power. In contrast to the quasistatically operated Carnot engine whose efficiency reaches the theoretical maximum, recent research on more realistic engines operated in a finite time has revealed other classes of efficiencies such as the Curzon-Ahlborn efficiency maximizing the power. Such a power-maximizing efficiency has been argued to be always half of the maximum efficiency up to the linear order near equilibrium under the tight-coupling condition between thermodynamic fluxes. We show, however, that this universality may break down for the quantum dot heat engine, depending on the constraint imposed on the engine control parameters (local optimization), even though the tight-coupling condition remains satisfied. It is shown that this deviation is critically related to the applicability of the linear irreversible thermodynamics.