Related papers: Minimal work principle: proof and counterexamples
In a macroscopic (quantum or classical) Hamiltonian system, we prove the second law of thermodynamics in the forms of the minimum work principle and the law of entropy increase, under the assumption that the initial state is described by a…
The viability of adiabatic quantum computation depends on the slow evolution of the Hamiltonian. The adiabatic switching theorem provides an asymptotic series for error estimates in $1/T$, based on the lowest non-zero derivative of the…
Based on the view that thermal equilibrium should be characterized through macroscopic observations, we develop a general theory about typicality of thermal equilibrium and the approach to thermal equilibrium in macroscopic quantum systems.…
A result of great theoretical and experimental interest, Jarzynski equality predicts a free energy change $\Delta F$ of a system at inverse temperature $\beta$ from an ensemble average of non-equilibrium exponential work, i.e., $\langle…
Work is a process-based quantity, and its measurement typically requires interaction with a measuring device multiple times. While classical systems allow for non-invasive and accurate measurements, quantum systems present unique challenges…
The third law of thermodynamics, also known as the Nernst unattainability principle, puts a fundamental bound on how close a system, whether classical or quantum, can be cooled to a temperature near to absolute zero. On the other hand, a…
First-order nonequilibrium phase transitions observed in active matter, fluid dynamics, biology, climate science, and other systems with irreversible dynamics are challenging to analyze because they cannot be inferred from a simple free…
The study of thermodynamic fluctuations allows one to relate the free energy difference between two equilibrium states with the work done on a system through processes far from equilibrium. This finding plays a crucial role in the quantum…
Adiabatic processes are important for studying the dynamics of a time-dependent system. Conventionally, the adiabatic processes can only be achieved by varying the system slowly. We speed up both classical and quantum adiabatic processes by…
A quantum thermodynamic cycle with a chiral multiferroic working substance such as $\textrm{LiCu}_{2}\textrm{O}_{2}$ is presented. Shortcuts to adiabaticity are employed to achieve an efficient, finite time quantum thermodynamic cycle which…
We consider the task of extracting work from quantum systems in the resource theory perspective of thermodynamics, where free states are arbitrary thermal states, and allowed operations are energy conserving unitary transformations. Taking…
We present an analysis of the work performed on a system of interest that is kept thermally isolated during the switching of a control parameter. We show that there exists, for a certain class of systems, a finite-time family of switching…
In this study, the minimum amount of work needed to drive a thermodynamic system from one initial distribution to another in a given time duration is discussed. Equivalently, for given amount of work, the minimum time duration required to…
We show that a cyclic unitary process can extract work from the thermodynamic equilibrium state of an engineered quantum dissipative process. Systems in the equilibrium states of these processes serve as batteries, storing energy. The…
Fluctuation theorems and the second law of thermodynamics are powerful relations constraining the behavior of out-of-equilibrium systems. While there exist generalizations of these relations to feedback controlled quantum systems, their…
We initially prepare a quantum linear oscillator weakly coupled to a bath in equilibrium at an arbitrary temperature. We disturb this system by varying a Hamiltonian parameter of the coupled oscillator, namely, either its spring constant or…
Drawing on an analogy with the second law of thermodynamics for adiabatically isolated systems, Cover argued that data-processing inequalities may be seen as second laws for "computationally isolated systems," namely, systems evolving…
This paper proposes a new thermodynamic hypothesis that states that a nonlinear natural system that is not isolated and involves positive feedbacks tends to minimize its resistance to the flow process through it that is imposed by its…
A central goal of thermodynamics is to identify optimal processes during which the least amount of energy is dissipated into the environment. Generally, even for simple systems, such as the parametric harmonic oscillator, optimal control…
Understanding how macroscopic systems exhibit irreversible thermal behavior has been a long-standing challenge, first brought to prominence by Boltzmann. Recent advances have established rigorous conditions for isolated quantum systems to…