We explore the quantum version of the Brayton cycle with a composite system as the working substance. The actual Brayton cycle consists of two adiabatic and two isobaric processes. Two pressures can be defined in our isobaric process; one corresponds to the external magnetic field (characterized by $F_x$) exerted on the system, while the other corresponds to the coupling constant between the subsystems (characterized by $F_y$). As a consequence, we can define two types of quantum Brayton cycle for the composite system. We find that the subsystem experiences a quantum Brayton cycle in one quantum Brayton cycle (characterized by $F_x$), whereas the subsystem's cycle is quantum Otto cycle in another Brayton cycle (characterized by $F_y$). The efficiency for the composite system equals to that for the subsystem in both cases, but the work done by the total system is usually larger than the sum of the work done by the two subsystems. The other interesting finding is that for the cycle characterized by $F_y$, the subsystem can be a refrigerator, while the total system is a heat engine. The result in this paper can be generalized to a quantum Brayton cycle with a general coupled system as the working substance.

• Received 10 September 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.87.012144