Theory Seminar: Quantum work statistics close to equilibrium

Matteo Scandi (ICFO)
Thermodynamics traditionally deals with large systems at thermal equilibrium, and its laws relate averages of quantities such as work and heat.

Matteo Scandi (ICFO)
Herbert-Walther Lecture Hall G0.25
Wed, 5. December 2019, 11:30 am

Abstract:

 Thermodynamics traditionally deals with large systems at thermal equilibrium, and its laws relate averages of quantities such as work and heat. When bringing the theory to the microscale, fluctuations become significant and can no longer be neglected with respect to average quantities. Characterising such thermodynamic fluctuations is highly non-trivial, as they depend on the details of the specific protocol and the nature of the system under consideration. In this talk, I will charaterise the work probability distribution for quantum systems which remains close to equilibrium along the process. In this regime universal results can be derived, which connect the entropy production with the consumption of athermality and coherent resources, and contribute to a behaviour markedly different from the one for classical systems.