Geometrical Bounds on Irreversibility in Open Quantum Systems

Area of Science:

• Quantum thermodynamics
• Statistical mechanics
• Arrow of time

Background:

• The Clausius inequality is fundamental to thermodynamics, defining irreversibility and the direction of time.
• Quantum mechanics extends these concepts to closed systems by analyzing the density matrix trajectory.
• Understanding entropy production in open quantum systems is crucial for thermodynamics and information theory.

Purpose of the Study:

• To extend the Clausius inequality to open quantum systems.
• To establish bounds for irreversible entropy production in quantum systems.
• To investigate information loss and thermalization processes in quantum systems.

Main Methods:

• Analyzing the trajectory of the density matrix on its manifold for open quantum systems.
• Developing theoretical upper and lower bounds for irreversible entropy production.
• Experimental demonstration using a quantum photonic simulator.

Main Results:

• Derived new upper and lower bounds for irreversible entropy production in open quantum systems.
• Demonstrated how these bounds provide insights into information forgetting during thermalization.
• Validated the theoretical bounds through experiments in a quantum photonic simulator.

Conclusions:

• The quantum approach to the Clausius inequality successfully extends to open systems.
• The established bounds offer a deeper understanding of irreversibility and thermalization in quantum thermodynamics.
• The findings have implications for quantum information processing and the fundamental nature of time.