Within the framework of relativistic quantum field theory, a novel method is established which allows to distinguish non-equilibrium states admitting locally a thermodynamic interpretation. The basic idea is to compare these states with global equilibrium states (KMS states) by means of local thermal observables. With the help of such observables, the states can be ordered into classes of increasing local thermal stability. Moreover, it is possible to identify states exhibiting certain specific thermal properties of interest, such as a definite local temperature or entropy density. The method is illustrated in a simple model describing the spatio-temporal evolution of a “big heat bang”. 1
Within the framework of relativistic quantum field theory, a novel method is established which allows to distinguish non-equilibrium states admitting locally a thermodynamic interpretation. The basic idea is to compare these states with global equilibrium states (KMS states) by means of local thermal observables. With the help of such observables, the states can be ordered into classes of increasing local thermal stability. Moreover, it is possible to identify states exhibiting certain specific thermal properties of interest, such as a definite local temperature or entropy density. The method is illustrated in a simple model describing the spatio-temporal evolution of a “big heat bang”. 1
A physical system is in local equilibrium if it cannot be distinguished from a global equilibrium by ``infinitesimally localized measurements''. This should be a natural characterization of local equilibrium, but the problem is to give a precise meaning to the qualitative phrase ``infinitesimally localized measurements''. A solution is suggested in form of a Local Equilibrium Condition, which can be applied to linear relativistic quantum field theories but not directly to selfinteracting quantum fields. The concept of local temperature resulting from LEC is compared to an old approach to local temperature based on the principle of maximal entropy. It is shown that the principle of maximal entropy does not always lead to physical states if it is applied to relativistic quantum field theories.
Simple example of local temperature stateAiming at a general formulation of non-equilibrium states in the framework of QFT, we start from a simple model-example of local temperature state: Let φ(x) be a massless free scalar field (in four dimensions) characterized by(Given a two-point function ω(2)(φ(x)φ(y)) , we can define a quasi-free state ω of φ through the Wick formula:When a two-point function ω(2) is chosen consistently with Eqs.(1,2) asthe corresponding quasi-free state ω=ωβ describes a global thermal equi- librium satisfying the KMS condition for any pair of polynomial fields A=φ(x1)⋯φ(xr) and B=φ(y1)⋯φ(ys) , ωβ(Aα(iβ,O)(B))=ωβ(BA) , (5) *Talk based on a joint work of D.Buchholz, H.Roos and I.O . in progress
In this thesis we study some non-equilibrium aspects of an interacting, massive scalar field theory treated perturbatively. This is done analysing some properties of the interacting KMS state constructed by Fredenhagen and Lindner [FL14] in the framework of perturbative Algebraic Quantum Field Theory. In the first part we treat the stability of KMS states, namely we check whether the free state evolved with the interacting dynamics converges to the interacting state. In the meantime we also analyse the return to equilibrium, that is the analogous property with the role of the free and interacting quantities exchanged. We prove that those two properties hold if the perturbation potential is of spatial compact support and that they fail otherwise, even if an adiabatic mean is considered. While the stability leads to non-curable divergencies, the analysis of return to equilibrium gives something finite, which is interpreted as a non-equilibrium steady state. The novelty of this non-equilibrium state drove us to try to characterise it in more details. To do so, in the second part we introduce relative entropy and entropy production for perturbative quantum field theory, justifying those definitions by proving their main properties. Furthermore, we showed that they are well-defined in the adiabatic limit if we consider densities. These two definitions allowed to prove that the non-equilibrium steady state is thermodynamically trivial, namely it has zero entropy production. The present thesis is based on [DFP18a, DFP18b].
The science of thermodynamics was put together in the Nineteenth Century to describe large systems in equilibrium. One part of thermodynamics defines entropy for equilibrium systems and demands an ever-increasing entropy for non-equilibrium ones. However, starting with the work of Ludwig Boltzmann in 1872, and continuing to the present day, various models of non-equilibrium behavior have been put together with the specific aim of generalizing the concept of entropy to non-equilibrium situations. This kind of entropy has been termed {\em kinetic entropy} to distinguish it from the thermodynamic variety. Knowledge of kinetic entropy started from Boltzmann's insight about his equation for the time dependence of gaseous systems. In this paper, his result is stated as a definition of kinetic entropy in terms of a local equation for the entropy density. This definition is then applied to Landau's theory of the Fermi liquid thereby giving the kinetic entropy within that theory.
Entropy has been defined and used for a wide variety of situations in which a condensed matter system has been allowed to relax for a sufficient period so that the very most rapid fluctuations have been ironed out. One of the broadest applications of non-equilibrium analysis considers quantum degenerate systems using Martin-Schwinger Green's functions\cite{MS} as generalized of Wigner functions, $g^ $. This paper describes once again these how the quantum kinetic equations for these functions give locally defined conservation laws for mass momentum and energy. In local thermodynamic equilibrium, this kinetic theory enables a reasonable local definition of entropy density. However, when the system is outside of local equilibrium, this definition fails. It is speculated that quantum entanglement is the source of this failure.
The science of thermodynamics was put together in the Nineteenth Century to describe large systems in equilibrium. One part of thermodynamics defines entropy for equilibrium systems and demands an ever-increasing entropy for non-equilibrium ones. However, starting with the work of Ludwig Boltzmann in 1872, and continuing to the present day, various models of non-equilibrium behavior have been put together with the specific aim of generalizing the concept of entropy to non-equilibrium situations. This kind of entropy has been termed {\em kinetic entropy} to distinguish it from the thermodynamic variety. Knowledge of kinetic entropy started from Boltzmann's insight about his equation for the time dependence of gaseous systems. In this paper, his result is stated as a definition of kinetic entropy in terms of a local equation for the entropy density. This definition is then applied to Landau's theory of the Fermi liquid thereby giving the kinetic entropy within that theory. Entropy has been defined and used for a wide variety of situations in which a condensed matter system has been allowed to relax for a sufficient period so that the very most rapid fluctuations have been ironed out. One of the broadest applications of non-equilibrium analysis considers quantum degenerate systems using Martin-Schwinger Green's functions\cite{MS} as generalized of Wigner functions, $g^$. This paper describes once again these how the quantum kinetic equations for these functions give locally defined conservation laws for mass momentum and energy. In local thermodynamic equilibrium, this kinetic theory enables a reasonable local definition of entropy density. However, when the system is outside of local equilibrium, this definition fails. It is speculated that quantum entanglement is the source of this failure.
In this thesis interacting relativistic and non relativistic Quantum Field Theories (QFT) are studied, investigating their equilibrium configurations and their long time evolution in the framework of perturbative Algebraic Quantum Field Theory, studying also convergence in a specific model. In the first part, concerning the relativistic case, we study, in formal perturbation theory, interacting KMS states generalising results by Fredenhagen and Lindner to fermionic field theories. As an application their stability is investigated together with the characterisation of the Debye screening effect in plasmas via the explicit solution of the Semiclassical Maxwell equations. Connected to these results, we also initiate a systematic study of secular growths appearing in the truncated perturbative series and affecting the validity of perturbation theory in its long time predicting capability. We restrict to theories on Minkowski spacetime and provide, for interactions depending on time via a switching process, a sufficient condition preventing secular growths in the truncated perturbative series. In the second part, we focus on a model of non relativistic quantum field theory. We construct equilibrium states at positive temperature in the presence of a condensation phase for a gas of non relativistic Bose particles on an infinite space interacting through a localised two body interaction. The convergence is proven, both for the interacting KMS state and for the entropy of the interacting KMS state relative to the free KMS state. The strategy of our proof combines ideas of Algebraic QFT, Constructive QFT and methods of statistical mechanics in the operator algebraic setting. Limits where the localisation of the two-body interaction is removed are eventually discussed, in combination with limits of the other physical parameters of the theory such as temperature, strength of the interaction and chemical potential. Finally, in the appendix, we present results on the Araki-Uhlmann relative entropy in fermionic quantum field theories, as well as an entropy-area relation, obtained via semiclassical methods, for the cosmological horizon in the static patch of de Sitter spacetime sourced by a coherent excitation of a free quantum scalar field. This completes the collection of original results obtained during the PhD.