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arXiv:1106.1982 · Journal of Physics A Mathematical and Theoretical

Microscopic reversibility of quantum open systems

Takaaki Monnai

Published Mar 6, 2012• 7 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The transition probability of an isolated system for a time-dependent unitary evolution is invariant under the reversal of protocols. In this paper, we generalize the expression of microscopic reversibility to externally perturbed large quantum open systems, which provides a model-independent equality between time forward and reversed joint transition probabilities. A time-dependent external perturbation acts on the subsystem during a transient duration, and subsequently the perturbation is switched off so that the total system would thermalize. We concern ourselves with the net transition probability for the subsystem from the initial to final states after a time evolution during which the energy is irreversibly exchanged between the subsystem and reservoir. The time-reversed probability is given by the reversal of the forcing protocol and the initial ensemble. Microscopic reversibility equates the time forward and reversed probabilities, and therefore appears as a thermodynamic symmetry for open quantum systems.

DOI
10.1088/1751-8113/45/12/125001

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The transition probability of an isolated system for a time-dependent unitary evolution is invariant under the reversal of protocols. In this paper, we generalize the expression of microscopic reversibility to externally perturbed large quantum open systems, which provides a model-independent equality between time forward and reversed joint transition probabilities. A time-dependent external perturbation acts on the subsystem during a transient duration, and subsequently the perturbation is switched off so that the total system would thermalize. We concern ourselves with the net transition probability for the subsystem from the initial to final states after a time evolution during which the energy is irreversibly exchanged between the subsystem and reservoir. The time-reversed probability is given by the reversal of the forcing protocol and the initial ensemble. Microscopic reversibility equates the time forward and reversed probabilities, and therefore appears as a thermodynamic symmetry for open quantum systems.
Time-reversal had always been assumed to be a symmetry of physics at the fundamental level. In this paper we will explore the violations of time-reversal symmetry at the fundamental level and the consequence on thermodynamic systems. First, we will argue from current physics that the universe dynamics is not time-reversal invariant. Second, we will argue that any thermodynamic system cannot be isolated completely from the universe. We then discuss how these two make the dynamics of thermodynamics systems very weakly irreversible at the classical and quantum level. Since time-reversal is no longer a symmetry of realistic systems, the problem of how macroscopic irreversibility arises from microscopic reversibility becomes irrelevant because there is no longer microscopic reversibility. At the classical level of a thermodynamic system, we show that the H theorem of Boltzmann is still valid even without microscopic reversibility. We do this by deriving a modified H theorem, which still shows entropy monotonically increasing. At the quantum level, we explicitly show the effect of CP violation, small irreversible changes on the internal states of the nuclear and atomic energy levels of thermodynamic systems. Thus, we remove Loschmidt's objection to Boltzmann's ideas.
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We investigate the robustness of the microscopic reversibility in open quantum systems which is discussed by Monnai in a recent article. We derive an exact relation between the forward transition probability and the reversed transition probability in the case of a general measurement basis. We show that the microscopic reversibility acquires some corrections in general and discuss the physical meaning of the corrections. Under certain processes, some of the correction terms vanish and we numerically confirmed that the remaining correction term becomes negligible; for such processes, the microscopic reversibility almost holds even when the local system cannot be regarded as macroscopic.
The dynamics of an open quantum system can be described by a quantum operation: A linear, complete positive map of operators. Here, I exhibit a compact expression for the time reversal of a quantum operation, which is closely analogous to the time reversal of a classical Markov transition matrix. Since open quantum dynamics are stochastic, and not, in general, deterministic, the time reversal is not, in general, an inversion of the dynamics. Rather, the system relaxes toward equilibrium in both the forward and reverse time directions. The probability of a quantum trajectory and the conjugate, time reversed trajectory are related by the heat exchanged with the environment.
This paper develops a constraint-based account of dynamical models in physics, showing that reversible dynamics arise as highly restricted boundary cases of more general irreversible frameworks. Using open quantum systems (Lindblad master equation) and classical statistical mechanics (Boltzmann equation), we prove that reversible models form a proper subclass of irreversible models (R⊂I\mathcal{R} \subset \mathcal{I}R⊂I), obtained by imposing bijectivity, time-reversal invariance, and strict isolation. This structural inclusion clarifies how unitary Schrödinger evolution and Liouvillian dynamics emerge from dissipative, many-to-one processes, and reframes debates on the arrow of time, coarse-graining, and open-system foundations in terms of constraint hierarchies rather than fundamental reversibility. This structural inclusion framework provides a unified foundation for ongoing debates in Foundations of Physics concerning irreversibility, symmetry constraints, and the physical status of open-system dynamics.
The dynamics of an open quantum system can be described by a quantum operation: A linear, complete positive map of operators. Here, I exhibit a compact expression for the time reversal of a quantum operation, which is closely analogous to the time reversal of a classical Markov transition matrix. Since open quantum dynamics are stochastic, and not, in general, deterministic, the time reversal is not, in general, an inversion of the dynamics. Rather, the system relaxes toward equilibrium in both the forward and reverse time directions. The probability of a quantum trajectory and the conjugate, time reversed trajectory are related by the heat exchanged with the environment.