Memory Effect in Upper Bound of Heat Flux Induced by Quantum Fluctuations

Abstract

Thermodynamic behaviors in a quantum Brownian motion coupled to a classical heat bath is studied. We then define a heat operator by generalizing the stochastic energetics and show the energy balance (first law) and the upper bound of the expectation value of the heat operator (second law). We further find that this upper bound depends on the memory effect induced by quantum fluctuations and hence the maximum extractable work can be qualitatively modified in quantum thermodynamics.

6 pages, no figures, errors of equations and typo were corrected, references and discussion are added, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. E

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Cited by in corpus (4)

• Perturbative Expansion of Irreversible Work in Fokker-Planck Equation a la Quantum Mechanics
• Quantum Analysis and Thermodynamic Operator Relations in Stochastic Energetics
• Perturbative expansion of irreversible works in symmetric and asymmetric processes
• Poisson bracket operator