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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 5, 2025

Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators

Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators

Published on: May 30, 2014

Quantum non-Markovianity, quantum coherence and extractable work in a general quantum process.

Amin Mohammadi¹, Afshin Shafiee¹

¹Research Group on Foundations of Quantum Theory and Information, Department of Chemistry, Sharif University of Technology, P.O. Box 11365-9516, Tehran, Iran. shafiee@sharif.edu.

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP

|January 15, 2024

Summary

Extractable work in quantum thermodynamics, measured by quantum free energy, evolves with quantum processes. Irreversibility drives extractable work changes, linked to quantum properties like non-Markovianity and coherence.

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Area of Science:

Quantum Thermodynamics
Quantum Information Theory

Background:

Extractable work quantifies the maximum work from a quantum system.
Ergotropy and quantum free energy are key measures of extractable work.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate extractable work evolution in open quantum systems undergoing general quantum processes.
Unify the first and second laws of thermodynamics for open quantum systems.

Main Methods:

Utilized quantum free energy to analyze extractable work.
Derived a fundamental thermodynamic equation for completely-positive, trace-preserving dynamical maps.
Connected extractable work evolution to quantum properties like non-Markovianity and coherence.

Main Results:

Established a unified thermodynamic equation linking energy changes, heat, and extractable work.
Identified reversible processes with heat evolution and irreversible processes with extractable work evolution.
Demonstrated a direct link between extractable work changes and quantum non-Markovianity and coherence.

Conclusions:

Irreversibility is the driving force behind extractable work evolution in open quantum systems.
Quantum properties significantly influence the extractable work dynamics.
The findings offer a clearer understanding of how quantum features impact work extraction.