2005/08/01 by M. Merkli, Merkli, M., M. Mück +3
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #47N50 #82C10 #FOS: Physical sciences #Mathematical Physics (math-ph) #math-ph #math.MP #msc:47N50 #msc:82C10
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.math-ph/0508005
arxiv created 2005/08/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01
We consider quantum systems consisting of a ``small'' system coupled to two reservoirs (called open systems). We show that such a system has no equilibrium states normal with respect to any state of the decoupled system in which the reservoirs are at different temperatures, provided that either the temperatures or the temperature difference divided by the product of the temperatures are not too small. Our proof involves an elaborate spectral analysis of a general class of generators of the dynamics of open quantum systems, including quantum Liouville operators (``positive temperature Hamiltonians'') which generate the dynamics of the systems under consideration.