Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 25, 2025

Cooling an Optically Trapped Ultracold Fermi Gas by Periodical Driving
Published on: March 30, 2017
Thermodynamics of Precision in Markovian Open Quantum Dynamics
1Department of Physics, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan.
Abstract:
The thermodynamic and kinetic uncertainty relations indicate trade-offs between the relative fluctuation of observables and thermodynamic quantities such as dissipation and dynamical activity. Although these relations have been well studied for classical systems, they remain largely unexplored in the quantum regime. In this Letter, we investigate such trade-off relations for Markovian open quantum systems whose underlying dynamics are quantum jumps, such as thermal processes and quantum measurement processes. Specifically, we derive finite-time lower bounds on the relative fluctuation of both dynamical observables and their first passage times for arbitrary initial states. The bounds imply that the precision of observables is constrained not only by thermodynamic quantities but also by quantum coherence. We find that the product of the relative fluctuation and entropy production or dynamical activity is enhanced by quantum coherence in a generic class of dissipative processes of systems with nondegenerate energy levels. Our findings provide insights into the survival of the classical uncertainty relations in quantum cases.
Related Concept Videos
Path Between Thermodynamics States
Entropy Change in Reversible Processes
The statement can be further generalized to prove that entropy is a state function. Take a cyclic process between any two points on a p-V diagram.
Thermodynamic Systems
Consider an example of tea boiling in a kettle. The...
Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
The relation between entropy and disorder can be illustrated with the example of the phase change of ice to water. In ice, the molecules are located at specific sites giving a solid state, whereas, in a liquid form, these molecules are much freer to move. The molecular arrangement has therefore become more randomized. Although the change in average...
Radical Anti-Markovnikov Addition to Alkenes: Thermodynamics
Thermodynamic Potentials

