Probability current and thermodynamics of open quantum systems
Quantum Physics
2016-07-06 v1
Abstract
This paper explores the generalization of the concept of a "probability current", familiar from wave-function quantum mechanics, to quantum systems with finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces. The generalized definition applies both to isolated systems evolving via the Schr\"odinger equation and to more general open systems obeying the Lindblad master equation. We establish several properties of the probability current and explore its relation to thermodynamic heat and work.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1607.01331,
title = {Probability current and thermodynamics of open quantum systems},
author = {Benjamin Schumacher and Michael D. Westmoreland and Alexander New and Haifeng Qiao},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1607.01331},
year = {2016}
}
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8 pages