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arXiv:2204.10044

Temperature uncertainty relation in non-equilibrium thermodynamics

Ning Zhang, Si‐Yuan Bai, Chong Chen

Published Apr 21, 2022• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Temperature uncertainty of a quantum system in canonical ensemble is inversely determined by its energy fluctuation, which is known as the temperature-energy uncertainty relation. No such uncertainty relation was discovered for a non-equilibrium open quantum system. In this article, we derive a universal temperature uncertainty relation for general non-equilibrium processes. We find that it is the fluctuation of heat, which is defined as the change in bath energy, determines the temperature uncertainty in non-equilibrium case. Specifically, the heat is divided into trajectory heat and backaction heat, which are associated with the system's trajectory of evolution and the backaction of partial measurement on system, respectively. Based on this decomposition, we reveal that both correlations between system and bath's process function and state function are the resources for enhancing temperature precision. Our findings are conductive to design ultrahigh sensitive quantum thermometer.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2204.10044

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We investigate the temperature uncertainty relation in the nonequilibrium probe-based temperature estimation process. We demonstrate that it is the fluctuation of heat that fundamentally determines temperature precision through the temperature-heat uncertainty relation. Specifically, we find that heat is divided into trajectory heat and correlation heat, which are associated with the heat exchange along the thermometer's evolution and the correlation between the thermometer and the sample, respectively. Based on two types of thermometers, we show that both of these heat terms are resources for enhancing temperature precision. By clearly distinguishing the resources for enhancing estimation precision, our findings not only explain why various quantum features are crucial for accurate temperature sensing but also provide valuable insights for designing ultrahigh-sensitive quantum thermometers. Additionally, we demonstrate that the temperature-heat uncertainty relation is consistent with the well-known temperature-energy uncertainty relation in thermodynamics. It establishes a connection between the information theory and the thermodynamics.
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Abstract It is known that temperature estimates of macroscopic systems in equilibrium are most precise when their energy fluctuations are large. However, for nanoscale systems deviations from standard thermodynamics arise due to their interactions with the environment. Here we include such interactions and, using quantum estimation theory, derive a generalised thermodynamic uncertainty relation valid for classical and quantum systems at all coupling strengths. We show that the non-commutativity between the system’s state and its effective energy operator gives rise to quantum fluctuations that increase the temperature uncertainty. Surprisingly, these additional fluctuations are described by the average Wigner-Yanase-Dyson skew information. We demonstrate that the temperature’s signal-to-noise ratio is constrained by the heat capacity plus a dissipative term arising from the non-negligible interactions. These findings shed light on the interplay between classical and non-classical fluctuations in quantum thermodynamics and will inform the design of optimal nanoscale thermometers.
The Heisenberg uncertainty relation, ΔxΔpx ⩾ ℏ/2 (ℏ ≡ h/2π), is well known. The purpose of this paper is to study a linkage between macroscopic thermodynamic quantities and the uncertainty relation. To simplify matters, we consider one-dimensional harmonic oscillator model. The calculations are carried out by two steps. First, the thermal average of the uncertainty relation is obtained for canonical system in thermal equilibrium at temperature T, which is denoted by (Δx)T(Δpx)T. Second, the thermodynamic quantities are expressed analytically as a function of (Δx)T(Δpx)T within the harmonic oscillator model. Finally, a connection between the energy fluctuations and the uncertainty relation is clarified for the Einstein’s heat capacity model. The analysis is made on the basis of fluctuation theory. The uncertainty relation is valid not only in quantum state but also at finite temperature.
A central open question in quantum thermodynamics is the identification of thermodynamic entropy away from equilibrium. Although thermodynamic entropy coincides with the von Neumann entropy for a Gibbs state at equilibrium, the thermodynamic role of quantum coherence generated during nonequilibrium evolution remains unclear. Here, we show that von Neumann entropy does not, in general, represent the thermodynamic entropy governing heat exchange in coherent nonequilibrium quantum systems. By integrating the resource theory of quantum coherence with thermodynamic principles, we develop a general framework for nonequilibrium quantum thermodynamics. We identify thermodynamic entropy with the energy entropy derived from energy-measurement statistics and introduce a dynamical temperature extending the equilibrium concept to nonequilibrium states. Consequently, we obtain an exact entropy-balance relation separating the entropy flux associated with heat exchange from the coherence-loss contribution to entropy production, establishing an operational connection between quantum coherence, heat flow, and total entropy change. Unlike approaches relying on equilibrium reference states or stationary Gibbs ensembles, our framework uses instantaneous dynamical quantities and remains valid throughout transient nonequilibrium evolution. It provides consistent dynamical definitions of temperature, work, heat, and free energy. Applying the formalism to an exactly solvable open quantum system, we show that the first and second laws hold throughout transient evolution and that equilibrium thermodynamics emerges dynamically in the weak-coupling long-time limit. Our results establish a unified framework for coherent nonequilibrium quantum thermodynamics and suggest opportunities for controlling heat dissipation through coherence engineering in quantum thermal technologies.
Contrary to the conventional wisdom that deviations from standard thermodynamics originate from the strong coupling to the bath, it is shown that in quantum mechanics, these deviations originate from the uncertainty principle and are supported by the non-Markovian character of the dynamics. Specifically, it is shown that the lower bound of the dispersion of the total energy of the system, imposed by the uncertainty principle, is dominated by the bath power spectrum; therefore, quantum mechanics inhibits the system thermal-equilibrium-state from being described by the canonical Boltzmann's distribution. We show for a wide class of systems, systems interacting via central forces with pairwise-self-interacting environments; this general observation is in sharp contrast to the classical case, for which the thermal equilibrium distribution, irrespective of the interaction strength, is exactly characterized by the canonical Boltzmann distribution; therefore, no dependence on the bath power spectrum is present. We define an effective coupling to the environment that depends on all energy scales in the system and reservoir interaction. Sample computations in regimes predicted by this effective coupling are demonstrated. For example, for the case of strong effective coupling, deviations from standard thermodynamics are present and for the case of weak effective coupling, quantum features such as stationary entanglement are possible at high temperatures.