We study bounds on ratios of fluctuations in steady-state time-reversal heat engines controlled by multi affinities. In the linear response regime, we prove that the relative fluctuations (precision) of the output current (power) is always lower-bounded by the relative fluctuations of the input current (heat current absorbed from the hot bath). As a consequence, the ratio between the fluctuations of the output and input currents are bounded both from above and below, where the lower (upper) bound is determined by the square of the averaged efficiency (square of the Carnot efficiency) of the engine. The saturation of the lower bound is achieved in the tight-coupling limit when the determinant of the Onsager response matrix vanishes. Our analysis can be applied to different operational regimes, including engines, refrigerators, and heat pumps. We illustrate our findings in two types of continuous engines: two-terminal coherent thermoelectric junctions and three-terminal quantum absorption refrigerators. Numerical simulations in the far-from-equilibrium regime suggest that these bounds apply more broadly, beyond linear response.

We study universal aspects of fluctuations in an ensemble of noninteracting continuous quantum thermal machines in the steady state limit. Considering an individual machine, such as a refrigerator, in which relative fluctuations (and high order cumulants) of the cooling heat current to the absorbed heat current, $\eta^{(n)}$, are upper-bounded, $\eta^{(n)}\leq \eta_C^n$ with $n\geq 2$ and $\eta_C$ the Carnot efficiency, we prove that an {\it ensemble} of $N$ distinct machines similarly satisfies this upper bound on the relative fluctuations of the ensemble, $\eta_N^{(n)}\leq \eta_C^n$. For an ensemble of distinct quantum {\it refrigerators} with components operating in the tight coupling limit we further prove the existence of a {\it lower bound} on $\eta_N^{(n)}$ in specific cases, exemplified on three-level quantum absorption refrigerators and resonant-energy thermoelectric junctions. Beyond special cases, the existence of a lower bound on $\eta_N^{(2)}$ for an ensemble of quantum refrigerators is demonstrated by numerical simulations.

No abstract

No abstract