Physical Review A

Ergotropic Mpemba effect in non-Markovian quantum systems

Yan Li, Wenlin Li, Xingli Li

Published Aug 20, 2025• 13 citations

Abstract

The Mpemba effect has garnered growing attention and diverse interpretations within the realm of quantum physics. Recently, Medina et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 220402 (2025)] introduced the ergotropic Mpemba effect in quantum batteries governed by Markovian dynamics, highlighting the anomalous phenomenon where batteries in higher ergotropy states discharge faster than those in lower ergotropy states. Building on this foundation, our research proposes an all-optical scheme to realize the ergotropic Mpemba effect in open quantum systems, and further investigates its implications in systems exhibiting non-Markovian dynamics. We find that the ergotropic Mpemba effect persists in non-Markovian dynamics. In the strong non-Markovian regime, prior to the occurrence of the ergotropic Mpemba effect, the ergotropy evolution shows multiple crossings, which we refer to as the quasiergotropic Mpemba effect. Moreover, we derive the analytical solution for the critical point at which the ergotropic Mpemba effect occurs, and we establish the necessary conditions for this effect to emerge. Finally, we propose an experimental scheme based on continuous-variable quantum circuits to realize our theoretical prediction.

DOI: 10.1103/5xrr-x2rm

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