Regensburg 2010 – scientific programme

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DY: Fachverband Dynamik und Statistische Physik

DY 6: Poster Session I

DY 6.45: Poster

Monday, March 22, 2010, 16:00–18:00, Poster B2

Thermodynamics of quantum systems: work and heat in finite systems — •Heiko Schröder and Günter Mahler — Universität Stuttgart, 1. Institut für Theoretische Physik, Pfaffenwaldring 57, 70550 Stuttgart, Germany

Over the past decade there has been growing interest in the thermodynamics of quantum systems and their parts. In order to tackle this challenge it is necessary to identify what thermodynamic role (heat or work source) each part plays in a given system and, thus, how the exchanged energy may be split into heat and work. We present a definition of finite quantum mechanical work sources and illustrate the concept by means of the behavior of a system consisting only of a single spin coupled to a harmonic oscillator [1]. We give a generalized definition of heat and work and measures for the quality of work transfer based on the previous results and the concept of a local effective measurement basis (LEMBAS [2]).

[1] H. Schröder and G. Mahler, arXiv:0911.5236

[2] H. Weimer et al., Europhys. Lett. 83 (2008), 30008