Related papers: Quantum work distributions associated with the dyn…
We investigate the probability distribution of the quantum fluctuations of thermodynamic functions of finite, ballistic, phase-coherent Fermi gases. Depending on the chaotic or integrable nature of the underlying classical dynamics, on the…
Quantum work fluctuation theorem (FT) commonly requires the system initially prepared in an equilibrium state. Whether there exists universal exact quantum work FT for initial state beyond equilibrium needs further discussions. Here, I…
Recent experimental advances in ultrafast phenomena have triggered renewed interest in the dynamics of correlated quantum systems away from equilibrium. We review nonequilibrium dynamical mean-field theory studies of both the transient and…
The electromagnetic field in a typical geometry of the Casimir effect is described in the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism. The main result is the photon distribution function (Keldysh Green function) in any stationary state of the field. A…
Close to equilibrium, the exchange of particles and heat between macroscopic systems at different temperatures and different chemical potentials is known to be governed by a matrix of transport coefficients which is positive and symmetric.…
The Casimir effect in quantum electrodynamics (QED) is perhaps the best-known example of fluctuation-induced long-ranged force acting on objects (conducting plates) immersed in a fluctuating medium (quantum electromagnetic field in vacuum).…
We propose an experimental scheme to verify the quantum non-equilibrium fluctuation relations using current technology. Specifically, we show that the characteristic function of the work distribution for a non-equilibrium quench of a…
In this paper we give a pedagogical introduction to the ideas of quantum thermodynamics and work fluctuations, using only basic concepts from quantum and statistical mechanics. After reviewing the concept of work, as usually taught in…
Research on the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of quantum systems has so far produced important statements on the thermodynamics of small systems undergoing quantum mechanical evolutions. Key examples are provided by the Crooks and Jarzynski…
Of indisputable relevance for non-equilibrium thermodynamics, fluctuations theorems have been generalized to the framework of quantum thermodynamics, with the notion of work playing a key role in such contexts. The typical approach consists…
The classical Jarzynski equality establishes an exact relation between the stochastic work performed on a system driven out of thermal equilibrium and the free energy difference in a corresponding quasi-static process. This fluctuation…
We consider a general d-dimensional quantum system of non-interacting particles, with suitable statistics, in a very large (formally infinite) container. We prove that, in equilibrium, the fluctuations in the density of particles in a…
Although nonequilibrium work and fluctuation relations have been studied in detail within classical statistical physics, extending these results to open quantum systems has proven to be conceptually difficult. For systems that undergo…
In a previous work [arXiv:1009.4363], we have studied the evolution of a scalar field with a quartic coupling, driven by a classical source that initializes it to a non-perturbatively large value. At leading order in the coupling, the…
A hierarchical equations of motion formalism for a quantum dissipation system in a grand canonical bath ensemble surrounding is constructed, on the basis of the calculus-on-path-integral algorithm, together with the parametrization of…
The thermodynamic behavior of out-of-equilibrium quantum systems in finite-time dynamics encompasses the description of energy fluctuations, which dictates a series of system's physical properties. In addition, strong interactions in…
Electromagnetic Casimir stresses are of relevance to many technologies based on mesoscopic devices such as MEMS embedded in dielectric media, Casimir induced friction in nano-machinery, micro-fluidics and molecular electronics. Computation…
Vacuum fluctuations are a fundamental and irremovable property of a quantized electromagnetic field. These fluctuations are the cause of the Casimir effect -- mutual attraction of two electrically neutral metallic plates in vacuum in the…
We study the physics of quantum phase transitions from the perspective of non-equilibrium thermodynamics. For first order quantum phase transitions, we find that the average work done per quench in crossing the critical point is…
A new microcanonical equilibrium state is introduced for quantum systems with finite-dimensional state spaces. Equilibrium is characterised by a uniform distribution on a level surface of the expectation value of the Hamiltonian. The…