Open-system approach to nonequilibrium quantum thermodynamics at arbitrary coupling

Abstract

We develop a general theory describing the thermodynamical behavior of open quantum systems coupled to thermal baths beyond perturbation theory. Our approach is based on the exact time-local quantum master equation for the reduced open system states, and on a principle of minimal dissipation. This principle leads to a unique prescription for the decomposition of the master equation into a Hamiltonian part representing coherent time evolution and a dissipator part describing dissipation and decoherence. Employing this decomposition we demonstrate how to define work, heat, and entropy production, formulate the first and second law of thermodynamics, and establish the connection between violations of the second law and quantum non-Markovianity.

7 pages, 2 figures. v2: small modifications in the text, references added, example model added. v3: title change, modifications in the text, remarks added, published in Phys. Rev. A

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Cited by in corpus (31)

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• Dynamically Emergent Quantum Thermodynamics: Non-Markovian Otto Cycle
• Thermodynamic Roles of Quantum Environments: From Heat Baths to Work Reservoirs
• Strong coupling non-Markovian quantum thermodynamics of a finite-bath system
• Dynamics of a strongly coupled quantum heat engine -- computing bath observables from the hierarchy of pure states
• Exploring the Limits of Controlled Markovian Quantum Dynamics with Thermal Resources
• A Schmidt decomposition approach to quantum thermodynamics
• Does canonical quantization lead to GKSL dynamics?
• Multiple entropy production for multitime quantum processes
• Quantum processes as thermodynamic resources: the role of non-Markovianity
• Work, Heat and Internal Energy in Open Quantum Systems: A Comparison of Four Approaches from the Autonomous System Framework
• Witnessing non-Markovianity with Gaussian quantum steering in collision model
• Complete Positivity and Thermal Relaxation in Quadratic Quantum Master Equations
• Stochastic entropy production: Fluctuation relation and irreversibility mitigation in non-unital quantum dynamics
• A constraint on local definitions of quantum internal energy
• Unveiling coherent dynamics in non-Markovian open quantum systems: exact expression and recursive perturbation expansion
• A Thermodynamic Framework for Coherently Driven Systems
• Local and global approaches to the thermodynamics of pure decoherence processes in open quantum systems
• Recursive perturbation approach to time-convolutionless master equations: Explicit construction of generalized Lindblad generators for arbitrary open systems
• Energy additivity as a requirement for universal quantum thermodynamical frameworks
• Local energy assignment for two interacting quantum thermal reservoirs
• On the energetic analysis of autonomous quantum systems
• Separation of relaxation timescales via strong system-bath coupling: Dissipative three-level system as a case study
• Heat operator approach to quantum stochastic thermodynamics in the strong-coupling regime
• Unification of Stochastic and Quantum Thermodynamics in Scalar Field Theory via a Model with Brownian Thermostat
• Work and heat exchanged during sudden quenches of strongly coupled quantum systems
• Heat currents in qubit systems
• The concept of minimal dissipation and the identification of work in autonomous systems: A view from classical statistical physics
• Finite-Bath Open Quantum Systems: Exact Dynamics
• Entropy production versus memory effects in two-level open quantum systems
• Expansion of time-convolutionless non-Markovian quantum master equations: A case study using the Fano-Anderson model