Quantum model for entropic springs

2015/07/31 by Chiao-Hsuan Wang, Jacob M. Taylor
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #Condensed matter physics #Elasticity (physics) #Mechanical and Optical Resonators #Physics #Quantum #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum mechanics #Spins #Statistical physics #Thermodynamics #cond-mat.stat-mech #quant-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.93.214102

published as Phys. Rev. B 93, 214102 (2016) · 7 pages, 4 figures

openalex publication_date 2016/06/02 · arxiv created 2016/10/06 · arxiv updated 2016/10/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

Motivated by understanding the emergence of thermodynamic restoring forces and oscillations, we develop a quantum-mechanical model of a bath of spins coupled to the elasticity of a material. We show our model reproduces the behavior of a variety of entropic springs while enabling investigation of non-equilibrium resonator states in the quantum domain. We find our model emerges naturally in disordered elastic media such as glasses, and is an additional, expected effect in systems with anomalous specific heat and 1/f noise at low temperatures due to two-level systems that fluctuate.

Citations

• Theory of the spin bath
• 1/fnoise: Implications for solid-state quantum information
• Sideband cooling of micromechanical motion to the quantum ground state
• Cavity Optomechanics: Back-Action at the Mesoscale
• Tunneling states in amorphous solids
• Anomalous low-temperature thermal properties of glasses and spin glasses
• Quantum ground state and single-phonon control of a mechanical resonator
• Mechanisms of decoherence at low temperatures
• Qubit-oscillator dynamics in the dispersive regime: Analytical theory beyond the rotating-wave approximation
• Laser cooling of a nanomechanical oscillator into its quantum ground state
• Quantum-coherent coupling of a mechanical oscillator to an optical cavity mode