Related papers: Work extraction from unknown quantum sources
Considering a general microscopic model for a quantum measuring apparatus comprising a quantum probe coupled to a thermal bath, we analyze the energetic resources necessary for the realization of a quantum measurement, which includes the…
We propose the idea that time evolution of quantum systems is driven by work. The formalism presented here falls within the scope of a recently proposed theory of gravitating quantum matter where extractible work, and not energy, is…
Entropy production is a fundamental concept that plays a crucial role in the second law of thermodynamics and the measure of irreversibility. It imposes rigorous constraints on the kinds of transformations allowed in thermodynamic…
We argue that the definition of the thermodynamic work done on a charged particle by a time-dependent electromagnetic field is an open problem, because the particle's Hamiltonian is not gauge-invariant. The solution of this problem demands…
Work extraction from a heat engine in a cycle by a quantum mechanical device (quantum "piston") is analyzed. The standard definition of work fails in the quantum domain. The correct extractable work and its efficiency bound are shown to…
The science of thermodynamics was put together in the Nineteenth Century to describe large systems in equilibrium. One part of thermodynamics defines entropy for equilibrium systems and demands an ever-increasing entropy for non-equilibrium…
A system in thermal equilibrium with a bath will generally be in an athermal state, if the system-bath coupling is strong. In some cases, it will be possible to extract work from that athermal state, after disconnecting the system from the…
Quantum information-theoretic approach has been identified as a way to understand the foundations of quantum mechanics as early as 1950 due to Shannon. However there hasn't been enough advancement or rigorous development of the subject. In…
It is possible to extract work from a quantum-mechanical system whose dynamics is governed by a time-dependent cyclic Hamiltonian. An energy bath is required to operate such a quantum engine in place of the heat bath used to run a…
Various approaches of defining and determining work performed on a quantum system are compared. Any operational definition of work, however, must allow for two facts, first, that work characterizes a process rather than an instantaneous…
Some general considerations on the notion of entropy in physics are presented. An attempt is made to clarify the question of the differentiation between physical entropy (the Clausius-Boltzmann one) and quantities called entropies…
Quantum information-processing techniques enable work extraction from a system's inherently quantum features, in addition to the classical free energy it contains. Meanwhile, the science of computational mechanics affords tools for the…
We set up a framework for quantum stochastic thermodynamics based solely on experimentally controllable, but otherwise arbitrary interventions at discrete times. Using standard assumptions about the system-bath dynamics and insights from…
The interplay between quantum-mechanical properties, such as coherence, and classical notions, such as energy, is a subtle topic at the forefront of quantum thermodynamics. The traditional Carnot argument limits the conversion of heat to…
Free energy and entropy are examined in detail from the standpoint of classical thermodynamics. The approach is logically based on the fact that thermodynamic work is mediated by thermal energy through the tendency for nonthermal energy to…
Heat and work in thermodynamics refer to the measurement of changes in energy content of external bodies (baths and agents). We discuss the implications of quantum mechanics on the possibility to measure work in a mesoscopic context. The…
Accurately describing work extraction from a quantum system is a central objective for the extension of thermodynamics to individual quantum systems. The concepts of work and heat are surprisingly subtle when generalizations are made to…
In thermodynamics, entropy production and work quantify irreversibility and the consumption of useful energy, respectively, when a system is driven out of equilibrium. For quantum systems, these quantities can be identified at the…
At non-zero temperature classical systems exhibit statistical fluctuations of thermodynamic quantities arising from the variation of the system's initial conditions and its interaction with the environment. The fluctuating work, for…
We investigate work extraction in open quantum batteries composed of interacting spin chains weakly coupled to engineered environments. Focusing on two- and four-qubit XX models initially prepared in thermal Gibbs states, we analyze how…