{
  "abstract": "In finite-time quantum Otto engines, maximizing power requires balancing the duration of the unitary strokes against the losses from nonadiabatic excitations. We address this trade-off in an Otto engine with a free-fermion working medium, using quantum optimal control. Having determined the single-particle energy scales that maximize ideal work at fixed reservoir temperatures, we realize them as the two endpoint Hamiltonians of a transverse-field Ising chain, connected by a path that crosses the quantum critical point. Optimal control of the unitary strokes yields near-ideal work on a time scale growing linearly with system size, instead of quadratically as for linear driving. We derive a time-rescaling relation that maps protocols with different energy scales onto a single reference problem and, for complete thermalization strokes of fixed duration, use it to build an analytical model of the cycle power. The model predicts two competing maximum-power regimes: a slow branch that approaches the ideal work, and a fast, size-independent branch that trades work for a shorter cycle and dominates above a crossover size, in quantitative agreement with numerical optimal-control results. It also identifies power-optimal energy scales that differ from the work-optimal ones and further increase the power. Our results provide a predictive approach to jointly optimizing the operating conditions and finite-time dynamics of quantum heat engines.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2611.08025",
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Vincenzo Roberto Arezzo"
    },
    {
      "name": "Davide Rossini"
    },
    {
      "name": "Giuseppe E. Santoro"
    },
    {
      "name": "Giulia Piccitto"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7mtpsbczc577m.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2611.08025",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "7mtpsbczc577m",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.08025",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "LicenseRef-arXiv-nonexclusive-1.0",
  "licence_label": "arXiv licence",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "quant-ph"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2611.08025",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-05",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7mtpsbczc577m.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-06T18:21:30Z",
      "native_id": "2611.08025",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.08025"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:quant-ph",
      "subfield": "quantum"
    }
  ],
  "title": "From maximum work to maximum power in an optimally controlled quantum Ising Otto engine",
  "title_text": "From maximum work to maximum power in an optimally controlled quantum Ising Otto engine",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-06T18:21:30Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7mtpsbczc577m",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}