  We study a quantum Otto engine operating on the basis of a helical spin- 1/2
multiferroic chain with strongly coupled magnetic and ferroelectric order
parameters. The presence of a finite spin chirality in the working substance
enables steering of the cycle by an external electric field that couples to the
electric polarization. We observe a direct connection between the chirality,
the entanglement and the efficiency of the engine. An electric-field dependent
threshold temperature is identified above which the pair correlations in the
system, as quantified by the thermal entanglement, diminish. In contrast to the
pair correlations, the collective many-body thermal entanglement is less
sensitive to the electric field, and in the high temperature limit converges to
a constant value. We also discuss the correlations between the threshold
temperature of the pair entanglement, the spin chirality and the minimum of the
fidelities in relation to the electric and magnetic fields. The efficiency of
the quantum Otto cycle shows a saturation plateau with increasing electric
field amplitude.
