By-passing fluctuation theorems with a catalyst
Boes P, Gallego R, Ng NHY, Eisert J, Wilming H (2020)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2020
Journal
Book Volume: 4
DOI: 10.22331/q-2020-02-20-231
Abstract
Fluctuation theorems impose constraints on possible work extraction probabilities in thermodynamical processes. These constraints are stronger than the usual second law, which is concerned only with average values. Here, we show that such constraints, expressed in the form of the Jarzysnki equality, can be bypassed if one allows for the use of catalysts—additional degrees of freedom that may become correlated with the system from which work is extracted, but whose reduced state remains unchanged so that they can be re-used. This violation can be achieved both for small systems but also for macroscopic many-body systems, and leads to positive work extraction per particle with finite probability from macroscopic states in equilibrium. In addition to studying such violations for a single system, we also discuss the scenario in which many parties use the same catalyst to induce local transitions. We show that there exist catalytic processes that lead to highly correlated work distributions, expected to have implications for stochastic and quantum thermodynamics.
Involved external institutions
Freie Universität Berlin
Germany (DE)
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETHZ) / Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich
Switzerland (CH)
Germany (DE)
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETHZ) / Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich
Switzerland (CH)
How to cite
APA:
Boes, P., Gallego, R., Ng, N.H.Y., Eisert, J., & Wilming, H. (2020). By-passing fluctuation theorems with a catalyst. Quantum, 4. https://doi.org/10.22331/q-2020-02-20-231
MLA:
Boes, Paul, et al. "By-passing fluctuation theorems with a catalyst." Quantum 4 (2020).
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