A thermodynamic analysis of nonsecular master equations, beyond strict energy conservation and Gibbs equilibrium state
In the master equation (ME) framework, when some energy transitions in the system are comparable with the dissipative rate, the secular approximation is not valid, and the positivity of the dynamics must be ensured via other approximations. In this regime, the thermodynamic description remains not completely clear and a careless analysis can lead to an apparent violation of the second law. In this talk I will show that one can always recover a consistent thermodynamic description for non-secular MEs. Focusing on the geometric arithmetic approximation, we then employ a systematic perturbation theory on microscopic expressions for the first and second law of thermodynamics which relates irreversibility to the increase of system-environment correlations. We show that, in spite of the weak system-bath coupling, the dynamics share similar features than the strong coupling regime. Indeed the system-bath interaction energy participates to the energy balance, and the steady state contains coherences, leading to a modification of the Spohn entropy production. Nevertheless, the first and second laws remain valid due to the conservation of the total energy and the genuine irreversible dynamics of the system.
Reference: arXiv:2606.13504
This IFISC Seminar will be broadcasted in the following zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89466064429?pwd=po9p99eAEYVPaNI8xIIGoOIz0hOqaF.1
Coffee and cookies will be served 15 minutes before the start of the seminar
Detalles de contacto:
Luisa Toledo Tude Contact form