Fluctuating Work in Coherent Quantum Systems: Proposals and Limitations
Abstract
One of the most important goals in quantum thermodynamics is to demonstrate advantages of themodynamic protocols over their classical counterparts. For that, it is necessary to (i) develop theoretical tools and experimental set-ups to deal with quantum coherence in thermodynamic contexts, and to (ii) elucidate which properties are genuinely quantum in a thermodynamic process. In this short review, we discuss proposals to define and measure work fluctuations that allow to capture quantum interference phenomena. We also discuss fundamental limitations arising due to measurement back-action, as well as connections between work distributions and quantum contextuality. We hope the different results summarised here motivate further research on the role of quantum phenomena in thermodynamics.
- Publication:
-
Thermodynamics in the Quantum Regime: Fundamental Aspects and New Directions
- Pub Date:
- 2018
- DOI:
- 10.1007/978-3-319-99046-0_11
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1805.10096
- Bibcode:
- 2018tqrf.book..275B
- Keywords:
-
- Physics;
- Quantum Physics;
- Condensed Matter - Statistical Mechanics
- E-Print:
- As a chapter of: F. Binder, L. A. Correa, C. Gogolin, J. Anders, and G. Adesso (eds.), "Thermodynamics in the quantum regime - Recent Progress and Outlook", (Springer International Publishing). Second version: Misspell in the title corrected