  We put forth a quantum simulation of a stroboscopic two-stroke thermal engine
in the IBMQ processor. The system consists of a quantum spin chain connected to
two baths at their boundaries, prepared at different temperatures using the
variational quantum thermalizer algorithm. The dynamics alternates between heat
and work strokes, which can be separately designed using independent quantum
circuits. The results show good agreement with theoretical predictions,
showcasing IBMQ as a powerful tool to study thermodynamics in the quantum
regime, as well as the implementation of variational quantum algorithms in
real-world quantum computers. It also opens the possibility of simulating
quantum heat transport across a broad range of chain geometries and
interactions.
