A self-contained quantum harmonic engine

Irreversible performance of a quantum harmonic heat engine

The unavoidable irreversible loss of power in a heat engine is found to be of quantum origin. Following thermodynamic tradition a model quantum heat engine operating in an Otto cycle is analyzed, where the working medium is composed of an ensemble of harmonic oscillators and changes in volume correspond to changes in the curvature of the potential well. Equations of motion for quantum observabl...

Self-contained CLI Assemblies

High-level programming languages and bytecode-based virtual execution environments have become popular in software development. Bytecode-based runtimes extend embedded system by techniques to improve safety, help portability and interoperability. The ECMA/ISO Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) specifies a bytecodebased execution environment (Common Language Runtime) and a comprehensive class ...

Identifying peers using a self-contained directory

PGP’s “web of trust” approach provides basic identification facilities. One benefit of this approach is that it tries to lower the infrastructure requirements such that, for example, no certification authorities are required. In this paper we also pursue this objective but take it even further. We present a self-contained P2P-based directory that provides similar guarantees for identification a...

A disposable, self-contained PCR chip.

A disposable, self-contained polymerase chain reaction (PCR) chip with on-board stored, just-on-time releasable, paraffin-passivated, dry reagents is described. During both storage and sample preparation, the paraffin immobilizes and protects the stored reagents. Fluid flow through the reactor leaves the reagents undisturbed. Prior to the amplification step, the chamber is filled with target an...

Self-contained Filtered Density Function