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Related Concept Videos

Temperature and Thermal Equilibrium01:11

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Heat and temperature are essential concepts for everyone every day. The study of heat and temperature is part of an area of physics known as thermodynamics. It is not always easy to distinguish heat and temperature.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Gradient Echo Quantum Memory in Warm Atomic Vapor
10:00

Gradient Echo Quantum Memory in Warm Atomic Vapor

Published on: November 11, 2013

Thermal equilibration between two quantum systems.

A V Ponomarev1, S Denisov, P Hänggi

  • 1Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, Universitätstrasse 1, D-86159 Augsburg, Germany.

Physical Review Letters
|January 15, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Isolated quantum systems at different temperatures equilibrate to a common temperature. This thermalization process involves intermediate Gibbs-like states, demonstrating quantum equilibration under specific conditions.

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Area of Science:

  • Quantum mechanics
  • Statistical mechanics
  • Thermodynamics

Background:

  • Understanding quantum thermalization is crucial for quantum information and condensed matter physics.
  • Previous studies often focused on infinite systems or specific models.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the thermalization process of two identical finite quantum systems.
  • To identify the conditions leading to quantum equilibration and Gibbs-like states.

Main Methods:

  • Analyzing isolated finite quantum systems initially at different temperatures.
  • Observing relaxation dynamics towards quasiequilibrium states.
  • Corroborating findings with two distinct theoretical models.

Main Results:

  • Identical finite quantum systems relax to Gibbs-like quasiequilibrium states with a common temperature.
  • The thermalization process occurs through a sequence of intermediate Gibbs-like states.
  • Fluctuations around time-averaged expectation values are small.

Conclusions:

  • Finite quantum systems can exhibit thermalization and reach a common temperature.
  • The study specifies conditions necessary for quantum equilibration in isolated systems.
  • The findings are robust, confirmed by two different models.