Entropy Production in Non-Markovian Collision Models: Information Backflow vs. System-Environment Correlations

Area of Science:

• Quantum thermodynamics
• Open quantum systems
• Statistical mechanics

Background:

• Investigating irreversible entropy production is crucial for understanding quantum thermodynamics.
• Non-Markovian dynamics and negative entropy production rates are debated topics in open quantum systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the relationship between non-Markovian dynamics and negative entropy production rates in a qubit system.
• To differentiate the roles of information backflow and system-environment correlations in entropy production.

Main Methods:

• Utilized microscopic collision models to simulate a qubit interacting with its environment.
• Employed two distinct collision models: one preserving system-environment correlations and one that does not.
• Analyzed both Markovian and non-Markovian regimes to observe entropy production dynamics.

Main Results:

• The collision model preserving system-environment correlations exhibited negative entropy production rates during transient dynamics.
• The model without preserved correlations maintained positive entropy production rates, despite slower convergence in non-Markovian regimes.
• Non-Markovianity via information backflow alone does not solely explain negative entropy production.

Conclusions:

• System-environment correlations are a key mechanism driving negative entropy production rates.
• Negative entropy production is not solely attributable to non-Markovian effects like information backflow.
• Preserving correlations is essential for observing negative entropy production in open quantum systems.