arXiv subjects

Alejandro Romanelli

Publications and source records attributed to Alejandro Romanelli.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Entropy-based analysis of single-qubit Otto and Carnot heat engines

From an entropy-based formulation of the first law of thermodynamics in the quantum regime, we investigate the performance of Otto-like and Carnot-like engines for a single-qubit working medium. Within this framework, the first law includes an additional contribution -- coherence work -- that quantifies the energetic cost of deviating the quantum trajectory from its natural unitary evolution. We focus on the efficiency of the heat-to-coherence work conversion and show that the Carnot cycle achieves the classical Carnot efficiency, while the performance of the Otto cycle is upper-bounded by the Carnot efficiency corresponding to the extreme temperatures of the cycle. We identify entropy generation during the isochoric stages as the key source of irreversibility limiting the Otto cycle's efficiency.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Evolution of expected values in open quantum systems

We derive a generalization of Ehrenfest theorem valid for open quantum systems. From this result, we identify three contributions to the evolution of expected values: i) the explicit time dependence of the observable, ii) the incompatibility between the observable and an operator which plays the role of an effective Hamiltonian, and iii) entropy changes. Considering the local Hamiltonian as the observable, and adopting a specific interpretation of the nature of thermal interactions, we obtain an alternative version of the first law of thermodynamics. Within this framework, we show that in some cases the power performed by the system can be considered as a quantum observable. As an application, the pure dephasing process is reinterpreted from this perspective.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Qubit thermodynamics far from equilibrium: two perspectives about the nature of heat and work in the quantum regime

Considering an entropy-based division of energy transferred into heat and work, we develop an alternative theoretical framework for the thermodynamic analysis of two-level systems. When comparing these results with those obtained under the standard definitions of these quantities, we observe the appearance of a new term of work, which represents the energy cost of rotating the Bloch vector in presence of the external field that defines the local Hamiltonian. Additionally, we obtain explicit expressions for the temperature, the heat capacity and the internal entropy production of the system in both paradigms. In order to illustrate our findings we study, from both perspectives, matter-radiation interaction processes for two different systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Temperature of a finite-dimensional quantum system

A general expression for the temperature of a finite-dimensional quantum system is deduced from thermodynamic arguments. At equilibrium, this magnitude coincides with the standard thermodynamic temperature. Furthermore, it is well-defined even far from equilibrium. Explicit formulas for the temperature of two and three-dimensional quantum systems are presented, and some additional relevant aspects of this quantity are discussed.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Entropy production in the quantum walk

We explore the notion of generated entropy in open quantum systems. We focus on the study of the discrete-time quantum walk on the line, from the entropy production perspective. We argue that the evolution of the coin can be modeled as an open two-level system that exchanges energy with the lattice at some effective temperature that depends on the initial state. The entropy balance shows that there is a positive entropy production during the evolution, in accordance with the second law of thermodynamics.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Out-of-equilibrium quantum thermodynamics in the Bloch sphere: temperature and internal entropy production

An explicit expression for the temperature of an open two-level quantum system is obtained as a function of local properties, under the hypothesis of weak interaction with the environment. This temperature is defined for both equilibrium and out-of-equilibrium states, and coincides with the environment temperature if the system reaches thermal equilibrium with a heat reservoir. Additionally, we show that within this theoretical framework the total entropy production can be partitioned into two contributions: one due to heat transfer, and another, associated to internal irreversibilities, related to the loss of internal coherence by the qubit. The positiveness of the heat capacity is established, as well as its consistency with the well known results at thermal equilibrium. We apply these concepts to two different systems, and show that they behave in analogous ways as their classical counterparts.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Stirling engine operating at low temperature difference

The paper develops the dynamics and thermodynamics of Stirling engines that run with temperature differences below 100 0C. The working gas pressure is analytically expressed using an alternative thermodynamic cycle. The shaft dynamics is studied using its rotational equation of motion. It is found that the initial volumes of the cold and hot working gas play a non-negligible role in the functioning of the engine.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2018

The Fluidyne engine

The Fluidyne is a two-part hot-air engine, which has the peculiarity that both its power piston and displacer are liquids. Both parts operate in tandem with the common working gas (air) transferring energy from the displacer to the piston side, from which work is extracted. We describe analytically the thermodynamics of the Fluidyne engine using the approach previously developed for the Stirling engine. We obtain explicit expressions for the amplitude of the power piston movement and for the working gas temperatures and pressure as functions of the engine parameters. We also study numerically the power and efficiency of the engine in terms of the phase shift between the motions of piston and displacer.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2018

Initial-state-dependent thermalization in open qubits

We study, from a thermodynamic perspective, the equilibrium states of a qubit interacting with an arbitrary environment of dimension N>>2. We show that even in presence of memory about the initial state, in some cases the qubit can be considered in a thermal state characterized by an entanglement Hamiltonian, which encodes the effects of the environment, and an initial-state- dependent entanglement temperature that measures the degree of entanglement generated between the system and its environment. Geometrical aspects of the thermal states are studied, and the results are confirmed for the concrete case of the Quantum Walk on the Line.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Alternative thermodynamic cycle for the Stirling machine

We develop an alternative thermodynamic cycle for the Stirling machine, where the polytropic process plays a central role. Analytical expressions for pressure and temperatures of the working gas are obtained as a function of the volume and the parameter which characterizes the polytropic process. This approach achieves a closer agreement with the experimental pressure-volume diagram and can be adapted to any type of the Stirling engine.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2016

Transient temperature and mixing times of quantum walks on cycles

The definition of entanglement temperature for the quantum walk on the line is extended to $N$-cycles, which are more amenable to a physical implementation. We show that, for these systems, there is a linear connection between the thermalization time and the mixing time, and also that these characteristic times become insensitive to the system size when $N$ is larger than a few units

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Relation between the usual and the entanglement temperature, in a simple quantum system

We develop a thermodynamical theory to describe the behavior of the entanglement between a single two-level atom with a single mode of the electromagnetic field. The resonant Jaynes-Cummings model is used to study both the entanglement thermodynamics, in particular the entanglement temperature, and its connection with the average number of photons in the optical cavity. We find that this entanglement temperature has a strong dependence with the initial conditions of the atom. We show that the entanglement temperature between the photons and the atom defined in this work is the same temperature obtained within the Jaynes-Cummings model at finite temperature developed in the Thermo-Field Dynamics formalism.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Quantum walk, entanglement and thermodynamic laws

We consider an special dynamics of a quantum walk (QW) on a line. Initially, the walker localized at the origin of the line with arbitrary chirality, evolves to an asymptotic stationary state. In this stationary state a measurement is performed and the state resulting from this measurement is used to start a second QW evolution to achieve a second asymptotic stationary state. In previous works, we developed the thermodynamics associated with the entanglement between the coin and position degrees of freedom in the QW. Here we study the application of the first and second laws of thermodynamics to the process between the two stationary states mentioned above. We show that: i) the entropy change has upper and lower bounds that are obtained analytically as a function of the initial conditions. ii) the energy change is associated to a heat-transfer process.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Thermodynamics of N-dimensional quantum walks

The entanglement between the position and coin state of a $N$-dimensional quantum walker is shown to lead to a thermodynamic theory. The entropy, in this thermodynamics, is associated to the reduced density operator for the evolution of chirality, taking a partial trace over positions. From the asymptotic reduced density matrix it is possible to define thermodynamic quantities, such as the asymptotic entanglement entropy, temperature, Helmholz free energy, etc. We study in detail the case of a $2$-dimensional quantum walk, in the case of two different initial conditions: a non-separable coin-position initial state, and a separable one. The resulting entanglement temperature is presented as function of the parameters of the system and those of the initial conditions.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Chirality asymptotic behavior and non-Markovianity in quantum walks on a line

We investigate the time evolution of the chirality reduced density matrix for a discrete-time quantum walk on a one-dimensional lattice, which is obtained by tracing out the spatial degree of freedom. We analyze the standard case, without decoherence, and the situation where decoherence appears in the form of broken links in the lattice. By examining the trace distance for possible pairs of initial states as a function of time, we conclude that the evolution of the reduced density matrix is non-Markovian, in the sense defined in [H. P. Breuer, E. M. Laine, and J. Piilo, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 210401 (2009)]. As the level of noise increases, the dynamics approaches a Markovian process. The highest non-Markovianity corresponds to the case without decoherence. The reduced density matrix tends always to a well-defined limit that we calculate, but only in the decoherence-free case this limit is non-trivial.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Polytropic process and tropical Cyclones

We show a parallelism between the expansion and compression of the atmosphere in the secondary cycle of a tropical cyclone with the fast expansion and compression of wet air in a bottle. We present a simple model in order to understand how the system (cyclone) draws energy from the air humidity. In particular we suggest that the upward (downward) expansion (compression) of the warm (cold) moist (dry) air follows a polytropic process, $PV^β$= constant. We show both experimentally and analytically that $β$ depends on the initial vapor pressure in the air. We propose that the adiabatic stages in the Carnot-cycle model for the tropical cyclone be replaced by two polytropic stages. These polytropic processes can explain how the wind wins energy and how the rain and the dry bands are produced inside the storm.

physics.ao-ph↗

arXiv2013

Understanding and controlling N-dimensional quantum walks via dispersion relations. Application to the 2D and 3D Grover walks: Diabolical points and more

The discrete quantum walk in N dimensions is analyzed from the perspective of its dispersion relations. This allows understanding known properties, as well as designing new ones when spatially extended initial conditions are considered. This is done by deriving wave equations in the continuum, which are generically of the Schrödinger type, and allow devising interesting behaviors, such as ballistic propagation without deformation, or the generation of almost flat probability distributions, what is corroborated numerically. There are however special points where the energy surfaces display intersections and, near them, the dynamics is entirely different. Applications to the two- and three-dimensional Grover walks are presented.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2012

Air expansion in the water rocket

We study the thermodynamics of the water rocket in the thrust phase, taking into account the expansion of the air with water vapor, vapor condensation and the energy taken from the environment. We set up a simple experimental device with a stationary bottle and verified that the gas expansion in the bottle is well approximated by a polytropic process $PV^\beta$= constant, where the parameter $\beta$ depends on the initial conditions. We find an analytical expression for $\beta $ that only depends on the thermodynamic initial conditions and is in good agreement with the experimental results.

physics.flu-dyn↗