While in the first volume of this book we presented a set of methods for the
description of the open systems, and applications to a superradiant semiconductor
structure, in this volume we concentrate on the microscopic theory and a detailed
investigation of the heat conversion into usable energy. Our study is essentially based
on master equations with explicit microscopic coefficients, for the active electrons,
superradiant field, and crystal lattice vibrations. The quantum dynamics of electrons
and electromagnetic field is obtained in the framework of a unified relativistic quantum
theory, from the description of a quantum particle as a vibration propagating in space,
and a relativistic principle asserting a limitation of the wave function spectrum for a
finite velocity c, which does not depend on the frame of reference. The electron
dynamics is described in the periodic potential of a crystal lattice and an internal field
induced by impurity doping, thermal vibrations, or the application of external fields.
The dissipative processes are described as resonant phenomena, with energy
conservation, of correlated transitions of particles in the systems of interest with other
particles of the crystal. We investigate the operation characteristics for the two versions
of the device, the longitudinal quantum heat converter, and the transversal one, and the
corresponding structures for the conversion of electromagnetic energy into electric
energy.
Keywords: Affinity, Bipolar transistor, Bose-Einstein statistics, Coherent field,
Conduction band, Correlated transitions, Creation-annihilation operators, Decay,
Dissipation, Electron, Fermi-Dirac statistics, Fermionic operators, Forbidden
band, Hamiltonian, Internal field, Lindbladian, Optical phonon, Photon,
Semiconductor junction, Semiconductor structure, Superradiant transistor,
Valence band.
