Theory Seminar: Noncommuting conserved quantities in thermodynamics

Dr. Nicole Yunger-Halpern ( Harvard-Smithsonian ITAMP)
In statistical mechanics, a small system exchanges conserved quantities — heat, particles, electric charge, etc.—with a bath.

July 05, 2021

Dr. Nicole Yunger Halpern (Harvard-Smithsonian ITAMP)
Group Seminar via Zoom
Wed, 07. July 2021, 15:00 pm (MEZ)

Abstract:

In statistical mechanics, a small system exchanges conserved quantities — heat, particles, electric charge, etc.—with a bath. The small system may thermalize to the canonical ensemble, the grand canonical ensemble, etc. The conserved quantities are represented by operators usually assumed to commute with each other. But noncommutation distinguishes quantum physics from classical. What if the operators fail to commute? This question of truly nonclassical thermodynamics has gained substantial attention in quantum-information-theoretic thermodynamics recently. I will discuss recent advances and what noncommutation of conserved quantities may buy for a thermodynamic agent, including the possibility of hindering thermalization to preserve information in memories. Applications include atomic, molecular, and optical physics; condensed matter; and potentially lattice gauge theories.

*References
1) NYH and Majidy, arXiv:2103.14041 (2021) https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.14041.
2) NYH, Beverland, and Kalev, Phys. Rev. E 101, 042117 (2020) https://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.101.042117.
3) NYH, Faist, Oppenheim, and Winter, Nat. Comms. 7, 12051 (2016) https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms12051.
4) NYH, J. Phys. A 51, 094001 (2018) https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1751-8121/aaa62f/meta.

If you'd like to participate in the seminar, please contact us!

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