2016/07/31 by Carlo Sparaciari, Jonathan Oppenheim, T. A. Fritz +1 · 83 citations
Computer Science · Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #Computer science #Entropy (arrow of time) #Entropy production #Mathematical economics #Mathematics #Physics #Quantum #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum mechanics #Quantum thermodynamics #Resource (disambiguation) #Second law of thermodynamics #Statistical physics #Theoretical physics #Thermodynamics #Work (physics) #cond-mat.stat-mech #cs.IT #math.IT #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreva.96.052112
published in Physical Review A 96(5) (American Physical Society) · main text: 12 pages, 5 figure; appendix: 7 pages
arxiv created 2017/10/19 · openalex publication_date 2017/11/13 · arxiv updated 2017/11/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Several recent results on thermodynamics have been obtained using the tools of quantum information theory and resource theories. So far, the resource theories utilized to describe thermodynamics have assumed the existence of an infinite thermal reservoir, by declaring that thermal states at some background temperature come for free. Here, we propose a resource theory of quantum thermodynamics without a background temperature, so that no states at all come for free. We apply this resource theory to the case of many noninteracting systems and show that all quantum states are classified by their entropy and average energy, even arbitrarily far away from equilibrium. This implies that thermodynamics takes place in a two-dimensional convex set that we call the energy-entropy diagram. The answers to many resource-theoretic questions about thermodynamics can be read off from this diagram, such as the efficiency of a heat engine consisting of finite reservoirs, or the rate of conversion between two states. This allows us to consider a resource theory which puts work and heat on an equal footing, and serves as a model for other resource theories.