Quantum Thermodynamics

Quantum Thermodynamics
Author: Sebastian Deffner
Publisher: Morgan & Claypool Publishers
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2019-07-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1643276581

This book provides an introduction to the emerging field of quantum thermodynamics, with particular focus on its relation to quantum information and its implications for quantum computers and next generation quantum technologies. The text, aimed at graduate level physics students with a working knowledge of quantum mechanics and statistical physics, provides a brief overview of the development of classical thermodynamics and its quantum formulation in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 then explores typical thermodynamic settings, such as cycles and work extraction protocols, when the working material is genuinely quantum. Finally, Chapter 3 explores the thermodynamics of quantum information processing and introduces the reader to some more state of-the-art topics in this exciting and rapidly developing research field.

Quantum Thermodynamics

Quantum Thermodynamics
Author: Jochen Gemmer
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2009-10-21
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3540705090

Over the years enormous effort was invested in proving ergodicity, but for a number of reasons, con?dence in the fruitfulness of this approach has waned. — Y. Ben-Menahem and I. Pitowsky [1] Abstract The basic motivation behind the present text is threefold: To give a new explanation for the emergence of thermodynamics, to investigate the interplay between quantum mechanics and thermodynamics, and to explore possible ext- sions of the common validity range of thermodynamics. Originally, thermodynamics has been a purely phenomenological science. Early s- entists (Galileo, Santorio, Celsius, Fahrenheit) tried to give de?nitions for quantities which were intuitively obvious to the observer, like pressure or temperature, and studied their interconnections. The idea that these phenomena might be linked to other ?elds of physics, like classical mechanics, e.g., was not common in those days. Such a connection was basically introduced when Joule calculated the heat equ- alent in 1840 showing that heat was a form of energy, just like kinetic or potential energy in the theory of mechanics. At the end of the 19th century, when the atomic theory became popular, researchers began to think of a gas as a huge amount of bouncing balls inside a box.

Thermodynamics in the Quantum Regime

Thermodynamics in the Quantum Regime
Author: Felix Binder
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 985
Release: 2019-04-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319990462

Quantum Thermodynamics is a novel research field which explores the emergence of thermodynamics from quantum theory and addresses thermodynamic phenomena which appear in finite-size, non-equilibrium and finite-time contexts. Blending together elements from open quantum systems, statistical mechanics, quantum many-body physics, and quantum information theory, it pinpoints thermodynamic advantages and barriers emerging from genuinely quantum properties such as quantum coherence and correlations. Owing to recent experimental efforts, the field is moving quickly towards practical applications, such as nano-scale heat devices, or thermodynamically optimised protocols for emergent quantum technologies. Starting from the basics, the present volume reviews some of the most recent developments, as well as some of the most important open problems in quantum thermodynamics. The self-contained chapters provide concise and topical introductions to researchers who are new to the field. Experts will find them useful as a reference for the current state-of-the-art. In six sections the book covers topics such as quantum heat engines and refrigerators, fluctuation theorems, the emergence of thermodynamic equilibrium, thermodynamics of strongly coupled systems, as well as various information theoretic approaches including Landauer's principle and thermal operations. It concludes with a section dedicated to recent quantum thermodynamics experiments and experimental prospects on a variety of platforms ranging from cold atoms to photonic systems, and NV centres.

Quantum Stochastic Thermodynamics

Quantum Stochastic Thermodynamics
Author: Philipp Strasberg
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2022
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0192895583

The theory of thermodynamics has been one of the bedrocks of 19th-century physics, and thermodynamic problems have inspired Planck's quantum hypothesis. One hundred years later, in an era where we design increasingly sophisticated nanotechnologies, researchers in quantum physics have been 'returning to their roots', attempting to reconcile modern nanoscale devices with the theory of thermodynamics. This textbook explains how it is possible to unify the two opposite pictures of microscopic quantum physics and macroscopic thermodynamics in one consistent framework, proving that the ancient theory of thermodynamics still offers many remarkable insights into present-day problems. This textbook focuses on the microscopic derivation and understanding of key principles and concepts and their interrelation. The topics covered in this book include (quantum) stochastic processes, (quantum) master equations, local detailed balance, classical stochastic thermodynamics, (quantum) fluctuation theorems, strong coupling and non-Markovian effects, thermodynamic uncertainty relations, operational approaches, Maxwell's demon, and time-reversal symmetry, among other topics. The textbook also explores several practical applications of the theory in more detail, including single-molecule pulling experiments, quantum transport and thermoelectric effects in quantum dots, the micromaser, and related setups in quantum optics. The aim of this book is to inspire readers to investigate a plethora of modern nanoscale devices from a thermodynamic point of view, allowing them to address their dissipation, efficiency, reliability, and power based on a conceptually clear understanding about the microscopic origin of heat, entropy, and the second law. The book is accessible to graduate students, post-docs, and lecturers, but will also be of interest to all researchers striving for a deeper understanding of the laws of thermodynamics beyond their traditional realm of applicability.

Quantum Steampunk

Quantum Steampunk
Author: Nicole Yunger Halpern
Publisher: JHU Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2022-04-12
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1421443732

The Industrial Revolution meets the quantum-technology revolution! A steampunk adventure guide to how mind-blowing quantum physics is transforming our understanding of information and energy. Victorian era steam engines and particle physics may seem worlds (as well as centuries) apart, yet a new branch of science, quantum thermodynamics, reenvisions the scientific underpinnings of the Industrial Revolution through the lens of today's roaring quantum information revolution. Classical thermodynamics, understood as the study of engines, energy, and efficiency, needs reimagining to take advantage of quantum mechanics, the basic framework that explores the nature of reality by peering at minute matters, down to the momentum of a single particle. In her exciting new book, intrepid Harvard-trained physicist Dr. Nicole Yunger Halpern introduces these concepts to the uninitiated with what she calls "quantum steampunk," after the fantastical genre that pairs futuristic technologies with Victorian sensibilities. While readers follow the adventures of a rag-tag steampunk crew on trains, dirigibles, and automobiles, they explore questions such as, "Can quantum physics revolutionize engines?" and "What deeper secrets can quantum information reveal about the trajectory of time?" Yunger Halpern also describes her own adventures in the quantum universe and provides an insider's look at the work of the scientists obsessed with its technological promise. Moving from fundamental physics to cutting-edge experimental applications, Quantum Steampunk explores the field's aesthetic, shares its whimsy, and gazes into the potential of a quantum future. The result is a blast for fans of science, science fiction, and fantasy.

Thermodynamics and Control of Open Quantum Systems

Thermodynamics and Control of Open Quantum Systems
Author: Gershon Kurizki
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 487
Release: 2022-01-13
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1107175410

The theory of open quantum systems is developed from first principles, and a detailed discussion of real quantum devices is also covered. This unique and self-contained book is accessible to graduate students and researchers working in atomic physics, quantum information, condensed matter physics, and quantum chemistry.

Quantum Thermodynamics

Quantum Thermodynamics
Author: Jochen Gemmer
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 318
Release: 2004-12-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9783540229117

This extended tutorial essay views thermodynamics as an incomplete description of quantum systems with many degrees of freedom. The main goal is to show that the approach to equilibrium - with equilibrium characterized by maximum ignorance about the open system of interest - neither requires that many particles nor is it a precise way of partitioning relevant for the salient features of equilibrium and equilibration. Moreover it is indeed quantum effects that are at work in bringing about universal thermodynamic behaviour of modestly sized open systems. Von Neumann`s concept of entropy thus proves to be much more widely useful than something to be feared, and far beyond truly macroscopic systems in equilibrium.

Quantum Thermodynamics and Optomechanics

Quantum Thermodynamics and Optomechanics
Author: Juliette Monsel
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 139
Release: 2020-09-18
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030549712

This thesis demonstrates the potential of two platforms to explore experimentally the emerging field of quantum thermodynamics that has remained mostly theoretical so far. It proposes methods to define and measure work in the quantum regime. The most important part of the thesis focuses on hybrid optomechanical devices, evidencing that they are proper candidates to measure directly the fluctuations of work and the corresponding fluctuation theorem. Such devices could also give rise to the observation of mechanical lasing and cooling, based on mechanisms similar to a heat engine. The final part of the thesis studies how quantum coherence can improve work extraction in superconducting circuits. All the proposals greatly clarify the concept of work since they are based on measurable quantities in state of the art devices.

Lectures on Quantum Computing, Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics

Lectures on Quantum Computing, Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics
Author: Mikio Nakahara
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 199
Release: 2013
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 9814425192

This book is a collection of lecture notes from the Symposium on Quantum Computing, Thermodynamics, and Statistical Physics, held at Kinki University in March 2012. Quantum information theory has a deep connection with statistical physics and thermodynamics. This volume introduces some of the topics on interface among the mentioned fields. Subjects included in the lecture notes include quantum annealing method, nonequilibrium thermodynamics and spin glass theory, among others. These subjects were presented with much emphasis put in its relevance in quantum information theory. These lecture notes are prepared in a self-contained manner so that a reader with modest background may understand the subjects.