Abstract
Voltage fluctuations generated in a hot resistor can cause extraction of
heat from a colder normal metal electrode of a hybrid tunnel junction
between a normal metal and a superconductor. We extend the analysis
presented in Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 210604 (2007)
of this heat rectifying system, bearing resemblance to a Maxwell’s
demon. Explicit analytic calculations show that the entropy of the total
system is always increasing. We then consider a single-electron
transistor configuration with two hybrid junctions in series, and show
how the cooling is influenced by charging effects. We analyze also the
cooling effect from nonequilibrium fluctuations instead of thermal
noise, focusing on the shot noise generated in another tunnel junction.
We conclude by discussing limitations for an experimental observation of
the effect.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 144505 |
| Journal | Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics |
| Volume | 84 |
| Issue number | 14 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2011 |
| MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |