Nonequilibrium-thermodynamics approach to open quantum systems

2014/10/31 by Vitalii Semin, Francesco Petruccione · 11 citations
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #Computer science #Entropy (arrow of time) #Harmonic oscillator #Master equation #Non-equilibrium thermodynamics #Open quantum system #Open system (computing) #Physics #Quantum #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum mechanics #Statistical physics #quant-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreva.90.052112

published in Physical Review A 90(5) (American Physical Society) · 8 pages, 2 figures

arxiv created 2014/11/11 · openalex publication_date 2014/11/18 · arxiv updated 2014/11/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

Open quantum systems are studied from the thermodynamical point of view unifying the principle of maximum informational entropy and the hypothesis of relaxation times hierarchy. The result of the unification is a non-Markovian and local-in-time master equation that provides a direct connection for dynamical and thermodynamical properties of open quantum systems. The power of the approach is illustrated by the application to the damped harmonic oscillator and the damped driven two-level system, resulting in analytical expressions for the non-Markovian and nonequilibrium entropy and inverse temperature.

Citations

• Non-Markovian dynamics in a spin star system: Exact solution and approximation techniques
• An open-system quantum simulator with trapped ions
• Transport, Collective Motion, and Brownian Motion
• Dynamics and thermodynamics of complex fluids. I. Development of a general formalism

Cited by

• Minimalistic analytical approach to non-Markovian open quantum systems
• Statistical thermodynamics of the Fröhlich-Bose-Einstein condensation of magnons out of equilibrium