Related papers: Non-hermitian quantum thermodynamics
Classical thermodynamics is built with the concept of equilibrium states. However, it is less clear how equilibrium thermodynamics emerges through the dynamics that follows the principle of quantum mechanics. In this paper, we develop a…
Information on quantum systems can be obtained only when they are open (or opened) in relation to a certain environment. As a matter of fact, realistic open quantum systems appear in very different shape. We sketch the theoretical…
In open systems with strong coupling, the interaction energy between the system and the environment is significant, so thermodynamic quantities cannot be reliably obtained by traditional statistical mechanics methods. The Hamiltonian of…
The Jarzynski equality relates the free energy difference between two equilibrium states to the fluctuating irreversible work afforded to switch between them. The prescribed fixed temperature for the equilibrium states implicitly constrains…
A key concept in quantum thermodynamics is extractable work, which specifies the maximum amount of work that can be extracted from a quantum system. Different quantities are used to measure extractable work, the most prevalent of which are…
Classical thermodynamics is unrivalled in its range of applications and relevance to everyday life. It enables a description of complex systems, made up of microscopic particles, in terms of a small number of macroscopic quantities, such as…
The statistical mechanical description of small systems staying in thermal equilibrium with an environment can be achieved by means of the Hamiltonian of mean force. In contrast to the reduced density matrix of an open quantum system, or…
We study the modification of the second law of thermodynamics for a quantum system interacting with a reservoir regarding quantum coherence. The whole system is isolated so that neither energy nor information is lost. It is discovered that…
According to the second law of thermodynamics, for every transformation performed on a system which is in contact with an environment of fixed temperature, the extracted work is bounded by the decrease of the free energy of the system.…
We consider a thermal quantum harmonic oscillator weakly coupled to a heat bath at a different temperature. We analytically study the quantum heat exchange statistics between the two systems using the quantum-optical master equation. We…
Regarded as one of the most fundamental concepts of classical mechanics and thermodynamics, work has received well-grounded definitions within the quantum framework since the 1970s, having being successfully applied to many contexts. Recent…
Quantum thermodynamics seeks to extend non-equilibrium stochastic thermodynamics to small quantum systems where non-classical features are essential to its description. Such a research area has recently provided meaningful theoretical and…
In this review the debated rapport between thermodynamics and quantum mechanics is addressed in the framework of the theory of periodically-driven/controlled quantum-thermodynamic machines. The basic model studied here is that of a…
The celebrated exchange fluctuation theorem -- proposed by Jarzynski and W\'ozcik, (Phys Rev. Lett. 92, 230602 (2004)) for heat exchange between two systems in thermal equilibrium at different temperatures -- is explored here for quantum…
The second law of thermodynamics dictates that heat flows spontaneously from a high-temperature entity to a lower-temperature one. Yet, recent advances have demonstrated that quantum correlations between a system and its thermal environment…
The separation of internal energy into heat and work in quantum thermodynamics is a controversial issue for a long time, and we revisit and solve this problem in this work. It is shown that the Hamiltonian plays dual roles for a quantum…
Considering an entropy-based division of energy transferred into heat and work, we develop an alternative theoretical framework for the thermodynamic analysis of two-level systems. When comparing these results with those obtained under the…
Heat and work for quantum systems governed by dissipative master equations with a time-dependent driving field were introduced in the pioneering work of Alicki [J. Phys. A 12, L103 (1979)]. Alicki's work was in the Schroedinger picture;…
We present a general quantum fluctuation theorem for the entropy production of an open quantum system coupled to multiple environments, not necessarily at equilibrium. Such a general theorem, when restricted to the weak-coupling and…
Thermodynamics is one of the fascinating branches of traditional physics to certify the occurrence of many natural processes. On the other hand, quantum theory is the most acceptable description of the microscopic world. In the present…