Entropy-based formulation of thermodynamics in arbitrary quantum evolution
English
Alipour, S.[QTF Center of Excellence, Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University, P.O. Box 11000, FI-00076 Aalto, Espoo, Finland]
Rezakhani, A. T.[Department of Physics, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran 14588, Iran]
Chenu, Aurélia[University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine (FSTM) > Department of Physics and Materials Science (DPHYMS) >]
Del Campo Echevarria, Adolfo[University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine (FSTM) > Department of Physics and Materials Science (DPHYMS) >]
Ala-Nissila, T.[QTF Center of Excellence, Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University, P.O. Box 11000, FI-00076 Aalto, Espoo, Finland > > > ; Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical Modelling and Department of Mathematical Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, United Kingdom]
[en] Given the evolution of an arbitrary open quantum system, we formulate a general and unambiguous method to separate the internal energy change of the system into an entropy-related contribution and a part causing no entropy change, identified as heat and work, respectively. We also demonstrate that heat and work admit geometric and dynamical descriptions by developing a universal dynamical equation for the given trajectory of the system. The dissipative and coherent parts of this equation contribute exclusively to heat and work, where the specific role of a work contribution from a counterdiabatic drive is underlined. Next we define an expression for the irreversible entropy production of the system which does not have explicit dependence on the properties of the ambient environment; rather, it depends on a set of the system's observables excluding its Hamiltonian and is independent of internal energy change. We illustrate our results with three examples.