Collective effects enhancing power and efficiency

in EPL (2017)

Energy conversion is most efficient for micro or nano machines with tight coupling between input and output power. To reach meaningful amounts of power, ensembles of N such machines must be considered. We ... [more ▼]

Energy conversion is most efficient for micro or nano machines with tight coupling between input and output power. To reach meaningful amounts of power, ensembles of N such machines must be considered. We use a model system to demonstrate that interactions between N tightly coupled nanomachines can enhance the power output per machine. Furthermore, while interactions break tight coupling and thus lower efficiency in finite ensembles, the macroscopic limit (N → ∞) restores it and enhances both the efficiency and the output power per nanomachine. [less ▲]