Putting Quantum Systems to Work

Yuchi He, Dante Marvin Kennes, V. Meden

We put forward a relation between the static charge fluctuations and the conductance of correlated many-fermion systems at zero temperature, avoiding the use of time-dependent fluctuations as in the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. Static charge fluctuations can efficiently be computed for low-dimensional systems using tensor network approaches, while the conductance is often significantly more difficult to obtain, requiring a challenging low-frequency linear response computation or an explicit time evolution. We put this relation to the test for quantum dot and quantum point contact setups, where in limiting cases exact results are known. Our study includes systems in which the one-dimensional reservoirs are interacting.

Robert J. Schoelkopf, S. M. Girvin

Anjan Kumar Chandra, Jun‐ichi Inoue, Bikas K. Chakrabarti

We consider a long-range Ising antiferromagnet put in a transverse field (LRTIAF) with disorder. We have obtained the phase diagrams for both the classical and quantum cases. For the pure case applying quantum Monte Carlo method, we study the variation in order parameter (spin correlation in the Trotter direction), susceptibility, and average energy of the system for various values of the transverse field at different temperatures. The antiferromagnetic order is seen to get immediately broken as soon as the thermal or quantum fluctuations are added. We discuss generally the phase diagram for the same LRTIAF model with perturbative Sherrington-Kirkpatrick-type disorder. We find that while the antiferromagnetic order is immediately broken as one adds an infinitesimal transverse field or thermal fluctuation to the pure LRTIAF system, an infinitesimal SK spin-glass disorder is enough to induce a stable glass order in the LRTIAF. This glass order eventually gets destroyed as the thermal or quantum fluctuations are increased beyond their threshold values and the transition to paramagnetic phase occurs. Analytical studies for the phase transitions are discussed in details in each case. These transitions have been confirmed by applying classical and quantum Monte Carlo methods. We show here that the disordered LRTIAF has a surrogate incubation property of the SK spin glass phase.

Chris Jay Hoofnagle, Simson Garfinkel

Board on Physics and Astronomy, Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

R. Gallego, Arnau Riera, Jens Eisert

How much work can be extracted from a heat bath using a thermal machine? The study of this question has a very long history in statistical physics in the weak-coupling limit, when applied to macroscopic systems. However, the assumption that thermal heat baths remain uncorrelated with associated physical systems is less reasonable on the nano-scale and in the quantum setting. In this work, we establish a framework of work extraction in the presence of quantum correlations. We show in a mathematically rigorous and quantitative fashion that quantum correlations and entanglement emerge as limitations to work extraction compared to what would be allowed by the second law of thermodynamics. At the heart of the approach are operations that capture the naturally non-equilibrium dynamics encountered when putting physical systems into contact with each other. We discuss various limits that relate to known results and put our work into the context of approaches to finite-time quantum thermodynamics.