Berlin 2014 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help

MP: Fachverband Theoretische und Mathematische Grundlagen der Physik

MP 13: Poster (permanent Mo-Do)

MP 13.8: Poster

Tuesday, March 18, 2014, 08:00–18:00, SPA Foyer

Correlated thermal machines in the micro-world — •Rodrigo Gallego — Dahlem Center for Complex Quantum Systems. 14195 Berlin-Dahlem

How much work can be extracted from a heat bath using a thermal machine? The study of this question has a very long tradition in statistical physics in the weak-coupling limit, applied to macroscopic systems. However, the assumption that thermal heat baths remain uncorrelated with physical systems at hand is less reasonable on the nano-scale and in the quantum setting, where correlations and entanglement may be expected to be prevalent. In this work, we establish a framework of work extraction in the presence of quantum correlations. We show in a mathematically rigorous and quantitative fashion that quantum correlations and entanglement emerge as a limitation to work extraction compared to what would be allowed by the second law of thermodynamics. At the heart of the approach are operations that capture naturally non-equilibrium dynamics encountered when putting physical systems into contact with each other. We discuss various limits that relate to known results and put our work into context of approaches to finite-time quantum thermodynamics.