We propose and analyze a simple mesoscopic quantum heat engine that exhibits both high power and high efficiency. The system consists of a biased Josephson junction coupled to two microwave cavities, with each cavity coupled to a thermal bath. Resonant Cooper pair tunneling occurs with the exchange of photons between cavities, and a temperature difference between the baths can naturally lead to a current against the voltage, and hence work. As a consequence of the unique properties of Cooper-pair tunneling, the heat current is completely separated from the charge current. This combined with the strong energy selectivity of the process leads to an extremely high efficiency.

• Received 11 December 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.93.041418