Basyouni 1

Name: Mohammed S. Basyouni

Class / Section: ENGW 3301
Due Date: 31
st
of July 2014

Project 1: Article Analysis

This essay is an analysis on the article Quantum-Mechanical Carnot Engine and
focuses on summarizing the main ideas of the article, as well as, the authors purpose of
writing and style of writing. After searching for topics, which are related to my current
studies, in the Northeastern University online Library, I came across this article and
chose it based on the following: it was written by well-reputed professors, it was peer
reviewed and all its sources are listed, making it easier for me to write the analysis. My
essay is subdivided into two parts. The first part is a summary on the original article and
the second part is the analysis.
The article Quantum-Mechanical Carnot Engine written by Carl M. Bender,
Dorje C. Brody and Bernhard K. Meister discusses the main concept and differences
between the Quantum-Mechanical Carnot Engine and the Classical Carnot Engine
developed by Nicolas Carnot, the father of thermodynamics, in 1824.
The article is subdivided into four parts, the first being the Introduction, which
concisely explains the problem of energy loss in heat engines and what made Carnots
cycle revolutionary, and at the same time, hypothetical. Part two describes the different
kinds of processes of the quantum heat engine with the help of mathematical analysis that
in combination, result in the existence of the quantum heat engine and prove that the
quantum-mechanical Carnot engine is analogous to the classical Carnot engine. Part
three, called the Quantum Carnot Cycle, describes the construction of the quantum cyclic
heat engine that relies on the previous part. In the last part of the article, the authors
highlight the differences between the two models and discuss both their application in
reality and the probability of establishing the two hypothetical models.





Basyouni 2
In the introductory part of the article, the authors introduce the problem that heat
engines do not convert one hundred percent of the heat energy into mechanical work
causing energy loss. Also, they describe how the article is organized and structured.
Afterwards, the authors explain the mechanism of the heat engine and state their first part
of the thesis that modern quantum physics can be applied on Carnots classical heat
engine model. The second part of the thesis can be found in part four of the article, the
Discussion, that applying quantum physics extends the Carnot heat engine and makes
the maximally efficient heat engine an actual physical possibility (Bender, Brody,
Meister p. 10).
The article is written by three authors, one of them being Carl M. Bender. He is a
distinguished professor of physics at Washington University in St. Louis, who received
his B.A. degree from Cornell University and M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University
(Washington University Physics Department). Second author contributing to the article is
Dorje C. Brody, who received his Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from the Imperial College
London (Imperial College London). The third author, Bernhard K. Meister, also received
his Ph.D. from the Imperial College London in Theoretical Physics (Department of
Physics Renmin University of China).
After reading the article, it can be concluded that the authors clearly address an
audience, which is knowledgeable and specialized in the field of Thermodynamics and
Theoretical Physics. Since the article, released on the 3
rd
of July in 2000, is published by
IOP Science Publishing in the Journal of Physics A: Mathematic and General (IOP
Publishing), it supports the argument that the article is scholarly and scientific. Moreover,
the language is scientific and relates directly to the topic of Thermodynamics and in the
Appendix the reader can see sources and references listed by the authors, which include
famous scientists, such as Max Planck. All in all, the article is accessible on the Internet
and open for anyone with a verified university account to read but because of its distinct
language on topic, it is more likely that the authors addressed people, who work and
study in the field of thermodynamics and understand the terminology, such as
Hamiltonian and eigenstates (page 6).
The appendix, on books and works cited, is listed on the last page of the article
and refers to other scientists, as well as, Carnots hypothetical model. Additionally,


Basyouni 3
showing the reader further reading material, the appendix also shows that the authors
utilized external sources and research in order to underline and support their thesis.
Besides quoting and citing widely known scientists, the authors also mathematically
show the proof to their thesis that quantum physics can be used on Carnot engine and
makes it more realizable. Mathematic proofs are common in scientific disciplines to
resolve formulas and strengthen argumentations with facts. The authors derive the proof
of their thesis by integrating renowned formulas, making it also harder for opponents to
criticize their argument. On page two for example, the authors make use of the
Schrdinger equation. By explaining each formula and integration step by step
throughout the essay, the authors also assure that there are no mistakes in their
mathematical proof. Nevertheless, the authors acknowledge that over the course of a
cycle the relative phases of these coefficients can change; each coefficient may accrue a
geometric phase contribution. We do not know whether the relative phases have
physically observable consequences with regard to the functioning of a quantum heat
engine (Bender, Brody, Meister p. 1). Hereby, the authors leave some room for a
different interpretation and also admit that their proof of the thesis might be true under
certain circumstances. Moreover, the discipline of quantum physics is a rather theoretical
explanation for mechanics, which is why the authors state on page three that the gas in
Carnots engine would not work with their model and had to be replaced by an infinite
number of particles with potential well, making it realizable, as there is no such thing as
an ideal gas (Bender, Brody, Meister 1), but also theoretical as to how to define those
particles, which allows ways of interpretation and counterarguments to their theory. In
spite of that, the authors prove their thesis sufficiently for their audience and thereby
contributing new ways of interpreting Carnots model and through their Quantum Physics
approach, making it a considerable possibility for future development.
The article Quantum-Mechanical Carnot Engine is a gain for the scientific
research and might also allow further research as to how to make engines hundred
percent efficient without losing energy, which would have a revolutionary impact on
science and economy as it means that calculation for energy output would be always
correct.



Basyouni 4
Works Cited

Bender, Brody, Meister. "Quantum-Mechanical Carnot Engine." Journal of Physics A:
Mathematical and General 33.24 (2006): 1- 10.

Renmin University of China, Department of Physics. "Renmin University of China." 1st
January 2014. Faculty and Staff. 17th July 2014
<http://sphysics.ruc.edu.cn/en/100746/20047.html>.

Imperial College London. "Imperial College London." 1st January 2014. Faculty of
Natural Sciences, Department of Mathematics. 17th July 2014
<http://www.imperial.ac.uk/AP/faces/pages/read/Home.jsp?person=d.brody&_adf.ctrl-
state=10t6tt0go1_3&_afrRedirect=836516409761108>.

IOP Publishing. "IOP Science ." 1st January 2014. Journal of Physics A: Mathematical
and General. 17th July 2014 <http://iopscience.iop.org/0305-4470>.

Washington University, Physics Department. "Washington University in St. Louis." 1st
January 2014. Carl M. Bender's Home Page. 17th July 2014
<http://physics.wustl.edu/cmb/>.