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QI: Fachverband Quanteninformation

QI 4: Quantum Thermodynamics and Open Quantum Systems

QI 4.6: Invited Talk

Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 15:30–16:00, H3

Noncommuting conserved quantities in thermodynamics — •Nicole Yunger Halpern — National Institute of Standards and Technology, College Park, Maryland, USA — Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science, College Park, Maryland, USA — Institute for Physical Science and Technology, College Park, Maryland, USA

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, Beverland, and Kalev, Phys. Rev. E 101, 042117 (2020).

2) NYH and Majidy, arXiv:2103.14041 (2021).

3) NYH, Faist, Oppenheim, and Winter, Nat. Comms. 7, 12051 (2016).