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arXiv:2012.07979 · Quantum

Quantum thermo-dynamical construction for driven open quantum systems

Roie Dann, Ronnie Kosloff

Published Nov 25, 2021• 26 citations
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Abstract

Quantum dynamics of driven open systems should be compatible with both quantum mechanic and thermodynamic principles. By formulating the thermodynamic principles in terms of a set of postulates we obtain a thermodynamically consistent master equation. Following an axiomatic approach, we base the analysis on an autonomous description, incorporating the drive as a large transient control quantum system. In the appropriate physical limit, we derive the semi-classical description, where the control is incorporated as a time-dependent term in the system Hamiltonian. The transition to the semi-classical description reflects the conservation of global coherence and highlights the crucial role of coherence in the initial control state. We demonstrate the theory by analyzing a qubit controlled by a single bosonic mode in a coherent state.

DOI
10.22331/q-2021-11-25-590

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Quantum dynamics of driven open systems should be compatible with both quantum mechanic and thermodynamic principles. By formulating the thermodynamic principles in terms of a set of postulates we obtain a thermodynamically consistent master equation. Following an axiomatic approach, we base the analysis on an autonomous description, incorporating the drive as a large transient control quantum system. In the appropriate physical limit, we derive the semi-classical description, where the control is incorporated as a time-dependent term in the system Hamiltonian. The transition to the semi-classical description reflects the conservation of global coherence and highlights the crucial role of coherence in the initial control state. We demonstrate the theory by analyzing a qubit controlled by a single bosonic mode in a coherent state.
The structure of a thermodynamically consistent master equation for a driven system is obtained by imposing a set of thermodynamic postulates. The analysis is based on a time-independent autonomous construction, incorporating the drive as a large transient control quantum system. Under these assumptions, by partitioning the control and primary system we derive the semi-classical description. In this framework, the drive is incorporated as a time-dependent term in the primary system Hamiltonian. The resulting structure of the master equation is determined by a set of eigenoperators of the driven free dynamics. We demonstrate the theory by analyzing a qubit controlled by a single bosonic mode in a coherent state.
Quantum control of an open system is demonstrated employing a thermodynamically consistent master equation. In this framework, the open system dynamics depend on the control protocol due to the dressing of the system by the drive. This interrelation serves as the key element for control. The influence of the external drive is incorporated within the dynamical equation, enabling an indirect control of the dissipation. The control paradigm is displayed by analyzing entropy changing state to state transformations, heating and cooling N-level systems. Following, we study the generation of quantum non-unitary maps via coherent control. These include both reset maps with complete memory loss and single-qubit unitary maps under dissipative conditions.
A comprehensive approach to modeling open quantum systems consistent with thermodynamics is presented. The theory of open quantum systems is employed to define system bath partitions. The Markovian master equation defines an isothermal partition between the system and bath. Two methods to derive the quantum master equation are described: the weak coupling limit and the repeated collision model. The role of the eigenoperators of the free system dynamics is highlighted, in particular, for driven systems. The thermodynamical relations are pointed out. Models that lead to loss of coherence, i.e., dephasing are described. The implication of the laws of thermodynamics to simulating transport and spectroscopy is described. The indications for self-averaging in large quantum systems and thus its importance in modeling are described. Basic modeling by the surrogate Hamiltonian is described, as well as thermal boundary conditions using the repeated collision model and their use in the stochastic surrogate Hamiltonian. The problem of modeling with explicitly time dependent driving is analyzed. Finally, the use of the stochastic surrogate Hamiltonian for modeling ultrafast spectroscopy and quantum control is reviewed.
Control of open quantum systems is an essential ingredient to the realization of contemporary quantum science and technology. We demonstrate such control by employing a thermodynamically consistent framework, taking into account the fact that the drive can modify the interaction with environment. Such an effect is incorporated within the dynamical equation, leading to control dependent dissipation, this relation serves as the key element for open system control. Thermodynamics of the control process is reflected by a unidirectional flow of energy to the environment resulting in large entropy production. The control paradigm is displayed by analyzing entropy changing state to state transformations, such as heating and cooling. In addition, the generation of quantum gates under dissipative conditions is demonstrated for both non-unitary reset maps with complete memory loss and a universal set of single and double qubit unitary gates.
Abstract Optical Bloch equations (OBE) describe the coherent exchange of energy between a quantum bit (qubit) and a quasi-resonant driving field in the presence of a thermal bath. Despite it being an ubiquitous process in quantum technologies, a sound thermodynamic analysis is still missing. We hereby provide such an analysis, by deriving the relevant framework from first principles. We start from a complete microscopic description of the qubit-bath system where definitions of heat, work and entropy production are unambiguous. We trace out the bath and coarse-grain the resulting expressions in time, using a methodology similar to the derivation of the dynamical master equation, to derive closed expressions for the first and second law in terms of system properties. Long coarse graining times yield the Floquet Master equation and its already known thermodynamic description. Short coarse-graining times yield instead the OBE and a novel thermodynamic framework which explicitly depends on quantum coherences in the qubit’s energy basis which produce quantum signatures in the heat and entropy production flows. This allows us to characterize a genuinely quantum non-equilibrium situation, where the coherences created by the driving field are continuously erased by the bath. Our findings can be readily extended to larger open quantum systems. They carry the seeds for future thermodynamic analyses of quantum gates and the design of quantum engines in the strong coherent driving regime.
Thermodynamics imposes fundamental constraints on the evolution of quantum systems. These constraints and their dynamical consequences have been formulated within distinct paradigms, including axiomatic approaches based on quantum master equations, microscopic descriptions of open-system dynamics, and operational formulations rooted in resource theories. While each perspective has yielded important insights into thermodynamically consistent quantum dynamics, their precise relationship has remained unresolved. Here we establish the exact equivalence of these three paradigms in the Markovian regime. We prove that thermal Lindbladians satisfying Markovianity, time-translation symmetry, and quantum detailed balance are precisely those admitting a microscopic realisation as an energy-conserving thermal collision model and, equivalently, those generating Markovian thermal operations. This unifies the existing approaches to Markovian quantum thermodynamics and identifies its dynamical underpinnings. We further provide an explicit microscopic protocol for simulating thermal Markovian processes with controlled finite-time simulation errors. We illustrate its applicability by providing faithful thermal collision-model implementations of a qubit thermalising in a bosonic environment and of a three-level autonomous thermal machine. In the latter case, the protocol gives rise to a finite-stroke thermal engine that not only reproduces the continuous-time dynamics but also its steady-state thermodynamic performance. As a whole, these results establish a unified foundation for Markovian quantum thermodynamics, showing that its axiomatic, microscopic, and operational formulations are exactly equivalent and providing a universal protocol for implementing thermal processes and machines.