Spectrally Selective Charging of an Interacting Quantum Battery via an Anharmonic Mediator

Abstract

We investigate a finite-time quantum-battery charging architecture in which a driven two-level working system transfers nonequilibrium resources to an interacting two-qubit battery through a weakly anharmonic three-level mediator. Finite-time driving generates coherence and ergotropy, while excitation-number conservation organizes the transfer into distinct dynamical sectors. The mediator then provides spectrally selective charging channels: its lower transition enables nearly complete single-excitation transfer with negligible residual mediator energy, whereas initial mediator loading activates a cross-resonant two-excitation cascade toward the doubly excited battery state. The latter exhibits a modest reduction in transfer efficiency due to the unequal collective matrix elements of the effective three-state chain. Detuning scans quantify the spectral tolerance, and the full mixed-state dynamics reveals distinct energy- and ergotropy-transfer profiles. Finite-time compression, thermal reset, and switching work close the cycle-level energy balance to numerical precision. The resulting scheme combines nonequilibrium resource generation, spectral selectivity, coherent multilevel charging, and thermodynamic cycle closure within a single architecture.