Entanglement, Coherence, and Extractable Work in Quantum Batteries

We investigate the connection between quantum resources and extractable work in quantum batteries. We demonstrate that quantum coherence in the battery or the battery-charger entanglement is a necessary resource for generating nonzero extractable work during the charging process. At the end of the charging process, we also establish a tight link of coherence and entanglement with the final extractable work: coherence naturally promotes the coherent work while coherence and entanglement inhibit the incoherent work. We also show that obtaining maximally coherent work is faster than obtaining maximally incoherent work. Examples ranging from the central-spin battery and the Tavis-Cummings battery to the spin-chain battery are given to illustrate these results.

Automated summary

We investigate the connection between quantum resources and extractable work in quantum batteries. It is demonstrated that quantum coherence in the battery or the battery-charger entanglement is essential for generating nonzero extractable work during the charging process. Additionally, there is a strong link between coherence and entanglement with the final extractable work, where coherence enhances coherent work while coherence and entanglement inhibit incoherent work. Furthermore, it is shown that obtaining maximally coherent work is faster than obtaining maximally incoherent work.