Quantum fluctuation theorem for dissipative processes

We present a general quantum fluctuation theorem for the entropy production of an open quantum system coupled to multiple environments, not necessarily at equilibrium. Such a general theorem, when restricted to the weak-coupling and Markovian regime, holds for both local and global master equations,...

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Main Authors: Gabriele De Chiara, Alberto Imparato
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Physical Society 2022-06-01
Series:Physical Review Research
Online Access:http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.023230
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author Gabriele De Chiara
Alberto Imparato
author_facet Gabriele De Chiara
Alberto Imparato
author_sort Gabriele De Chiara
collection DOAJ
description We present a general quantum fluctuation theorem for the entropy production of an open quantum system coupled to multiple environments, not necessarily at equilibrium. Such a general theorem, when restricted to the weak-coupling and Markovian regime, holds for both local and global master equations, corroborating the thermodynamic consistency of local quantum master equations. The theorem is genuinely quantum, as it can be expressed in terms of conservation of a Hermitian operator, describing the dynamics of the system state operator and of the entropy change in the baths. The integral fluctuation theorem follows from the properties of such an operator. Furthermore, it is also valid when the system is described by a time-dependent Hamiltonian. As such, the quantum Jarzynski equality is a particular case of the general result presented here. Moreover, our result can be extended to nonthermal baths, as long as microreversibility is preserved. We present some numerical examples to showcase the exact results previously obtained. We finally generalize the fluctuation theorem to the case where the interaction between the system and the bath is explicitly taken into account. We show that the fluctuation theorem amounts to a relation between time-reversed dynamics of the global density matrix and a two-time correlation function along the forward dynamics involving the baths' entropy alone.
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spelling doaj.art-aa164208b36847b79b57be5855e3ccc32024-04-12T17:22:05ZengAmerican Physical SocietyPhysical Review Research2643-15642022-06-014202323010.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.023230Quantum fluctuation theorem for dissipative processesGabriele De ChiaraAlberto ImparatoWe present a general quantum fluctuation theorem for the entropy production of an open quantum system coupled to multiple environments, not necessarily at equilibrium. Such a general theorem, when restricted to the weak-coupling and Markovian regime, holds for both local and global master equations, corroborating the thermodynamic consistency of local quantum master equations. The theorem is genuinely quantum, as it can be expressed in terms of conservation of a Hermitian operator, describing the dynamics of the system state operator and of the entropy change in the baths. The integral fluctuation theorem follows from the properties of such an operator. Furthermore, it is also valid when the system is described by a time-dependent Hamiltonian. As such, the quantum Jarzynski equality is a particular case of the general result presented here. Moreover, our result can be extended to nonthermal baths, as long as microreversibility is preserved. We present some numerical examples to showcase the exact results previously obtained. We finally generalize the fluctuation theorem to the case where the interaction between the system and the bath is explicitly taken into account. We show that the fluctuation theorem amounts to a relation between time-reversed dynamics of the global density matrix and a two-time correlation function along the forward dynamics involving the baths' entropy alone.http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.023230
spellingShingle Gabriele De Chiara
Alberto Imparato
Quantum fluctuation theorem for dissipative processes
Physical Review Research
title Quantum fluctuation theorem for dissipative processes
title_full Quantum fluctuation theorem for dissipative processes
title_fullStr Quantum fluctuation theorem for dissipative processes
title_full_unstemmed Quantum fluctuation theorem for dissipative processes
title_short Quantum fluctuation theorem for dissipative processes
title_sort quantum fluctuation theorem for dissipative processes
url http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.023230
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