English

Quantum finite-time thermodynamics: insight from a single qubit engine

Quantum Physics 2021-03-11 v1

Abstract

Incorporating time into thermodynamics allows addressing the tradeoff between efficiency and power. A qubit engine serves as a toy model to study this tradeoff from first principles, based on the quantum theory of open systems. We study the quantum origin of irreversibility, originating from heat transport, quantum friction and thermalization in the presence of external driving. We construct various finite-time engine cycles based on the Otto and Carnot templates. Our analysis highlights the role of coherence and the quantum origin of entropy production.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2009.02801,
  title  = {Quantum finite-time thermodynamics: insight from a single qubit engine},
  author = {Roie Dann and Ronnie Kosloff and Peter Salamon},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2009.02801},
  year   = {2021}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-23T18:20:51.784Z