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Quantum stochastic thermodynamics in the mesoscopic-leads formulation
Laetitia P Bettmann1, Michael J Kewming1, Gabriel T Landi2
1Trinity College Dublin, School of Physics, College Green, Dublin 2, D02K8N4, Ireland.
Physical Review. E
|August 19, 2025
Summary
We developed a numerical method for analyzing quantum systems. This approach accurately measures charge, heat, and entropy production, even under strong coupling conditions.
Area of Science:
- Quantum thermodynamics
- Quantum statistical mechanics
Background:
- Open quantum systems require methods to analyze energy and entropy flow.
- Current methods often limited to weak system-environment coupling or linear response.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a numerical method for sampling charge, heat, and entropy production in open quantum systems.
- To provide temporal and energy resolution beyond the linear-response regime.
- To extend quantum stochastic thermodynamics to strong coupling.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing the mesoscopic-leads formulation to model macroscopic reservoirs.
- Employing a Gorini-Kossakowski-Sudarshan-Lindblad master equation for reservoir damping.
- Accessing time-resolved full counting statistics via trajectory unraveling of the master equation for noninteracting fermionic systems.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated the validity of integral fluctuation theorems for total, martingale, and uncertainty entropy production.
- Investigated fluctuations of dissipated heat during finite-time information erasure.
- Successfully extended continuous-time trajectory descriptions of quantum stochastic thermodynamics.
Conclusions:
- The developed numerical method enables detailed analysis of thermodynamic quantities in strongly coupled open quantum systems.
- The approach validates fundamental fluctuation theorems in a broader regime.
- This work advances the understanding of quantum thermodynamics beyond weak coupling approximations.
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