Related papers: The Three Faces of the Second Law: I. Master Equat…
The quantum master equation obtained from two different thermodynamic arguments is seriously nonlinear. We argue that, for quantum systems, nonlinearity occurs naturally in the step from reversible to irreversible equations and we analyze…
In textbooks on statistical mechanics, one finds often arguments based on classical mechanics, phase space and ergodicity in order to justify the second law of thermodynamics. However, the basic equations of motion of classical mechanics…
Stochastic Thermodynamics (ST) extends the notions of classical thermodynamics to trajectories taken from a nonequilibrium ensemble. This extension yields a simple approach to fluctuation relations in small systems. Multiple time- and…
We derive the stochastic master equations which describe the evolution of open quantum systems in contact with a heat bath and undergoing indirect measurements. These equations are obtained as a limit of a quantum repeated measurement model…
This paper is a non-technical, informal presentation of our theory of the second law of thermodynamics as a law that is independent of statistical mechanics and that is derivable solely from certain simple assumptions about adiabatic…
We describe recent progress towards deriving the Fundamental Laws of thermodynamics (the 0th, 1st and 2nd Law) from nonequilibrium quantum statistical mechanics in simple, yet physically relevant models. Along the way, we clarify some basic…
Quantum thermodynamics with open systems is often based on the quantum optical weak-coupling master equation or on operational repeated interaction models, whereas early works on thermalisation and on decoherence theory were mostly…
We use the work done on and the heat removed from a system to maintain it in a nonequilibrium steady state for a thermodynamic-like description of such a system as well as of its fluctuations. Based on a generalized Onsager-Machlup theory…
Aspects of the modern dynamical systems approach to thermodynamics of stationary states out of equilibrium with attention to the original conceptions which arose at the beginnings of Statistical Mechanics
We show how statistical thermodynamics can be formulated in situations in which thermodynamics applies, while equilibrium statistical mechanics does not. A typical case is, in the words of Landau and Lifshitz, that of partial (or…
The essential postulates of classical thermodynamics are formulated, from which the second law is deduced as the principle of increase of entropy in irreversible adiabatic processes that take one equilibrium state to another. The entropy…
The quantum master equation obtained by generalizing the geometric formulation of nonequilibrium thermodynamics to dissipative quantum systems is seriously nonlinear. We argue that nonlinearity occurs naturally in the step from reversible…
Development of thermodynamic induction up to second order gives a dynamical bifurcation for thermodynamic variables and allows for the prediction and detailed explanation of nonequilibrium phase transitions with associated spontaneous…
Completely positive trace preserving maps are essential for the formulation of the second law of thermodynamics. The dynamics of quantum systems, correlated with their environments, are in general not described by such maps. We explore how…
The purpose of this work is to discuss recent progress in deriving the fundamental laws of thermodynamics (0th, 1st and 2nd-law) from nonequilibrium quantum statistical mechanics. Basic thermodynamic notions are clarified and different…
In systems with detailed balance, the stationary distribution and the equilibrium distribution are identical, creating a clear connection between energetic and entropic quantities. Many driven systems violate detailed balance and still pose…
Quantum thermodynamics addresses the emergence of thermodynamical laws from quantum mechanics. The link is based on the intimate connection of quantum thermodynamics with the theory of open quantum systems. Quantum mechanics inserts…
A procedure is introduced which allows to represent the dynamics of a non-equilibrium system violating detailed balance by its steady state loop fluxes. It is shown that detailed balance is restored in this representation, such that the…
We investigate the thermodynamic consistency of the master equation description of heat transport through an optomechanical system attached to two heat baths, one optical and one mechanical. We employ three different master equations to…
To describe the nonequilibrium states of a system we introduce a new thermodynamic parameter - the lifetime of a system. The statistical distributions which can be obtained out of the mesoscopic description characterizing the behaviour of a…