2006/01/01 by Walid K. Abou Salem, Walid K. Abou-Salem, Jürg Fröhlich +1
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Adiabatic process #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #Classical mechanics #Entropy (arrow of time) #Fluctuation theorem #Isothermal process #Non-equilibrium thermodynamics #Physics #Quantum #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum mechanics #Second law of thermodynamics #Statistical Mechanics and Entropy #Statistical physics #Theoretical physics #Thermal equilibrium #Thermodynamics #Work (physics) #math-ph #math.MP
paper · pdf · doi:10.1007/3-540-34273-7_10
published as Lett. Math. Phys. (2005) 72: 153-163
openalex publication_date 2006/01/01 · arxiv created 2006/01/23 · arxiv updated 2015/06/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Isothermal processes of a finitely extended, driven quantum system in contact with an infinite heat bath are studied from the point of view of quantum statistical mechanics. Notions like heat flux, work and entropy are defined for trajectories of states close to, but distinct from states of joint thermal equilibrium. A theorem characterizing reversible isothermal processes as quasi-static processes (''isothermal theorem'') is described. Corollaries concerning the changes of entropy and free energy in reversible isothermal processes and on the 0th law of thermodynamics are outlined.