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Center for Nonlinear Studies |
Definition and measurement of work done on a driven open quantum system remain major challenges in quantum thermodynamics. The stochastic mapping of an open quantum system to the Lindblad master equation and its unraveling by quantum jumps offers a powerful way to define and calculate thermodynamics of work and the related fluctuation relations. However, several approximations must be made including that of Markovianity of the dynamics. A calorimetric detection method has recently been proposed by J. Pekola and collaborators as a feasible experimental scheme to measure work and fluctuation relations. However, the detection requires a finite size for the environment, which influences the system dynamics. This process cannot be modeled with the standard Markovian stochastic approaches. We develop a quantum jump model suitable for systems coupled to a finite-size environment and discuss its application to work measurement and fluctuation relations. We also discuss the consequences of non-Markovianity in entropy production in strongly coupled systems.
Host: Avadh Saxena