Thermodynamics of Quantum Jumps - Kvanttihyppyjen termodynamiikka

Classical objects, like an apple falling from a tree, have to go along a continuous path when they want to move from one place to another. This rule does not apply in the world of atoms, where things have the peculiar ability to jump between different states without appearing ever in between, provided somebody is watching them. In our project, we develop a theory, which could allow to use these quantum jumps for classical purposes. Since the jumping atoms can transform heat into useful work, they might one day be used as the probably tiniest imaginable heat engines operating on length scales 10 orders of magnitude smaller than the team engine. Remarkably, the first experiments in this direction are already underway.