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arXiv:1605.03691 · Physical review. E

Presence of quantum correlations results in a nonvanishing ergotropic gap

Amit Mukherjee, Arup Roy, Some Sankar Bhattacharya, Manik Banik

Published May 24, 2016• 40 citations
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Abstract

The paradigm of extracting work from an isolated quantum system through a cyclic Hamiltonian process is a topic of immense research interest. The optimal work extracted under such a process is termed ergotropy [Europhys. Lett. 67, 565 (2004)]. Here, in a multiparty scenario, we consider only a class of such cyclic processes that can be implemented locally, giving rise to the concept of local ergotropy. Eventually, the presence of quantum correlations results in a nonvanishing thermodynamic quantity called an ergotropic gap, measured by the difference between global and local ergotropy. However, the converse does not hold in general, i.e., its nonzero value does not necessarily imply the presence of quantum correlations. For arbitrary multiparty states, we quantify this gap. We also evaluate the difference between maximum global and local extractable work for arbitrary states when the system is no longer isolated but put in contact with a bath of the same local temperature.

DOI
10.1103/physreve.93.052140

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The paradigm of extracting work from an isolated quantum system through a cyclic Hamiltonian process is a topic of immense research interest. The optimal work extracted under such a process is termed ergotropy [Europhys. Lett. 67, 565 (2004)]. Here, in a multiparty scenario, we consider only a class of such cyclic processes that can be implemented locally, giving rise to the concept of local ergotropy. Eventually, the presence of quantum correlations results in a nonvanishing thermodynamic quantity called an ergotropic gap, measured by the difference between global and local ergotropy. However, the converse does not hold in general, i.e., its nonzero value does not necessarily imply the presence of quantum correlations. For arbitrary multiparty states, we quantify this gap. We also evaluate the difference between maximum global and local extractable work for arbitrary states when the system is no longer isolated but put in contact with a bath of the same local temperature.
Extracting work from quantum system is one of the important areas in quantum thermodynamics. As a significant thermodynamic quantity, the ergotropy gap characterizes the difference between the global and local maximum extractable works. We derive an analytical upper bound of the ergotropic gap with respect to [Formula: see text] tripartite separable states. This bound also provides a necessary criterion for the separability of tripartite states. Detailed examples are presented to illustrate the efficiency of this separability criterion.
Continuous-variable quantum thermodynamics in the Gaussian regime provides a promising framework for investigating the energetic role of quantum correlations, particularly in optical systems. In this Letter, we introduce an entropy-free criterion for entanglement detection in bipartite Gaussian states, rooted in a distinct thermodynamic quantity: ergotropy-the maximum extractable work via unitary operations. By defining the "relative ergotropic gap," which quantifies the disparity between global and local ergotropy, we derive two independent analytical bounds that distinguish entangled from separable states. These bounds coincide for a broad class of quantum states, making the criterion both necessary and sufficient in such cases. Unlike entropy-based measures, our ergotropic approach captures fundamentally different aspects of quantum correlations and entanglement, particularly in mixed continuous-variable systems. We also extend our analysis beyond the Gaussian regime to certain non-Gaussian states and observe that Gaussian ergotropy continues to reflect thermodynamic signatures in entangled states, albeit with some limitations. These findings establish a direct operational link between entanglement and energy storage, offering an experimentally accessible approach to entanglement detection in continuous-variable optical platforms.
The presence of quantum multipartite entanglement implies the existence of a thermodynamic quantity known as the ergotropic gap, which is defined as the difference between the maximal global and local extractable works from the system. We establish a direct relation between the geometric measure of entanglement and the ergotropic gaps. We show that all the marginal ergotropic gaps form a convex polytope for each class of quantum states that are equivalent under stochastic local operations and classical communication (SLOCC). We finally introduce the concept of multipartite ergotropic gap indicators and use them to present a refined criterion for classifying entanglement under SLOCC.
The presence of quantum multipartite entanglement implies the existence of a thermodynamic quantity known as the ergotropic gap, which is defined as the difference between the maximal global and local extractable works from the system. We establish a direct relation between the geometric measure of entanglement and the ergotropic gaps. We show that all the marginal ergotropic gaps form a convex polytope for each class of quantum states that are equivalent under stochastic local operations and classical communication (SLOCC). We finally introduce the concept of multipartite ergotropic gap indicators and use them to present a refined criterion for classifying entanglement under SLOCC.
Understanding the role of classical and quantum correlations in work extraction is a problem of fundamental importance in thermodynamics. We approach this problem by considering that, in closed quantum systems, the maximum cyclic work extractable is equal to the ergotropy. Thus, we aim to identify and investigate the contributions to the ergotropy coming from different kinds of initial correlations (total, classical, discord, and entanglement correlations). By doing so, we have introduced and studied quantifiers of correlations which are based on ergotropy. In particular, our results suggest that only discord correlations always give a positive contribution to work extraction, whereas total, classical, and entanglement correlations can reduce the work extraction.
For finite-dimensional bipartite systems with additive endpoint Hamiltonians, the ergotropic gap measures the work advantage of global over independent local cyclic unitary control. We express this gap through mutual information and the Gibbs-relative entropies of the local and global passive states. The balance retains local passive-state corrections for arbitrary marginals and reduces to the established locally thermal ergotropy identity when those corrections vanish. Dropping the global correction gives a separability-independent upper bound whose exact slack is the global passive-state free-energy excess. We show that optimizing the reference temperature is equivalent to matching the Gibbs entropy to the joint-state entropy. The optimized result is precisely the equal-entropy Gibbs bound on global ergotropy minus the local ergotropies, rather than a new thermodynamic bound. We characterize saturation and temperature endpoints, including degenerate ground spaces. Werner states yield a unique implicit crossover with a separability-based majorization bound and a small-correlation bound-to-gap ratio approaching 3/2. Structured and random two-qubit comparisons illustrate complementary performance. We also specify pointwise quantum-battery applicability and the obstruction from persistent interactions.