Feynmanova raglja

Feynmanova raglja je mikroskopski toplotni stroj, ki ga poganjajo trki molekul. Pojavila se je kot miselni eksperiment, še vedno pa je aktualna kot model za molekularne črpalke. Pred nekaj leti je bil narejena prva eksperimentalna izvedba Feynmanove raglje. Prvi del članka se ukvarja s toplotnim strojem v osnovni obliki, kot si ga je zamislil Feynman, opisano je njegovo delovanje ter izračunan izkoristek. V drugem delu je predstavljena eksperimentalna izvedba.

Feymnan’s ratchet and pawl

Feynman’s ratchet is a microscopic heat engine propelled by the collisions of molecules. It first appeared as a thought experiment and is still interesting today as a model for molecular motors and pumps. The first experimental realisation of Feynman’s ratchet was conducted a few years ago. The first part of this article considers the heat engine in the original form as imagined by Feynman. The second part describes the experimental realisation.