A single atom inside of a reflective cavity could be enough to drive a piston in a tiny, quantum version of an engine. The essential feature of any engine is that it converts heat into work, which can ...

Harnessing quantum states that avoid thermalization enables energy harvesters to surpass traditional thermodynamic limits such as Carnot efficiency, report researchers from Japan. The team developed a ...

The French inventor Jacques de Vaucanson is remembered for, among other things, producing three curious automata in the 18th century. A poster from the time advertised them all side by side: a figure ...