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We propose a configuration of a single three-level quantum emitter embedded in a non-equilibrium steady electromagnetic environment, able to stabilize and control the local temperatures of a target system it interacts with, consisting of a…
The evaluation of the specific heat of an open, damped quantum system is a subtle issue. One possible route is based on the thermodynamic partition function which is the ratio of the partition functions of system plus bath and of the bath…
The entanglement between the position and coin state of a $N$-dimensional quantum walker is shown to lead to a thermodynamic theory. The entropy, in this thermodynamics, is associated to the reduced density operator for the evolution of…
We provide a theoretical model for the non-equilibrium steady state heat flow through a quantum heat valve. The model is based on a master equation approach, where the partial secular approximation has been carefully performed in order to…
In this paper we examine the behavior in temperature of the free energy on quantum systems in an arbitrary number of dimensions. We define from the free energy a function $C$ of the coupling constants and the temperature, which in the…
Quantum thermodynamics aims at extending standard thermodynamics and non-equilibrium statistical physics to systems with sizes well below the thermodynamic limit. A rapidly evolving research field, which promises to change our understanding…
Thermalization of isolated quantum systems has been studied intensively in recent years and significant progresses have been achieved. Here, we study thermalization of small quantum systems that interact with large chaotic environments…
The change of the von Neumann entropy of a set of harmonic oscillators initially in thermal equilibrium and interacting linearly with an externally driven quantum system is computed by adapting the Feynman-Vernon influence functional…
The thermodynamic properties of quantum heat engines are stochastic owing to the presence of thermal and quantum fluctuations. We here experimentally investigate the efficiency and nonequilibrium entropy production statistics of a spin-1/2…
We study the unitary time evolution of a simple quantum Hamiltonian describing a heat engine coupled to two heat baths. The engine is modeled as a three-level system. Each heat bath consists of a single harmonic oscillator. The engine is…
Thermodynamics is a branch of science blessed by an unparalleled combination of generality of scope and formal simplicity. Based on few natural assumptions together with the four laws, it sets the boundaries between possible and impossible…
We study the internal dynamics of an elementary quantum system placed close to a body held at a temperature different from that of the surrounding radiation. We derive general expressions for lifetime and density matrix valid for bodies of…
An exact stochastic model for the thermalisation of quantum states is proposed. The model has various physically appealing properties. The dynamics are characterised by an underlying Schrodinger evolution, together with a nonlinear term…
The second law of thermodynamics prohibits spontaneous heat from a cold to a hot body. However, it has been theoretically and experimentally shown that energy can flow from a cold to a hot body if the bodies are initially correlated. We…
For the ideal Fermi gas that fills a quantum well confined by two parallel planes, there are calculated the thermodynamic characteristics in general form for arbitrary temperatures, namely: the thermodynamic potential, energy, entropy,…
Noncommutativity of observables is a central feature of quantum physics. It plays a fundamental role in the formulation of the uncertainty principle for complementary variables and strongly affects the laws of thermodynamics for systems…
The stationary state of a quantum particle strongly coupled to a quantum thermal bath is known to be non-gibbsian, due to entanglement with the bath. For harmonic potentials, where the system can be described by effective temperatures,…
The influence of the environment in the thermal equilibrium properties of a bipartite continuous variable quantum system is studied. The problem is treated within a system-plus-reservoir approach. The considered model reproduces the…
We report a kind of quantum phase transition which takes place in isolated quantum systems with non-thermal equilibrium states and an extra symmetry that commutes with the Hamiltonian for any values of the system parameters. A critical…
We address a particular instance where open quantum systems may be used as quantum probes for an emergent property of a complex system, as the temperature of a thermal bath. The inherent fragility of the quantum probes against decoherence…