Synchronization-induced violation of thermodynamic uncertainty relations

Fluctuations affect the functionality of nanodevices. Thermodynamic uncertainty relations (TURs), derived within the framework of stochastic thermodynamics, show that a minimal amount of dissipation is required to obtain a given relative energy current dispersion, that is, current precision has a thermodynamic cost. It is therefore of great interest to explore the possibility that TURs are violated, particularly for quantum systems, leading to accurate currents at lower cost. Here, we show that two quantum harmonic oscillators are synchronized by coupling to a common thermal environment, at strong dissipation and low temperature. In this regime, periodically modulated couplings to a second thermal reservoir, breaking time-reversal symmetry and taking advantage of non-Markovianity of this latter reservoir, lead to strong violation of TURs for local work currents, while maintaining finite output power. Our results pave the way for the use of synchronization in the thermodynamics of precision.
Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures. This is the Accepted Manuscript version of an article accepted for publication in "Quantum Science and Technology". IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The Version of Record is available online at https://www.doi.org/10.1088/2058-9565/ad6fc9