arXiv subjects

Markus J. Henrich

Publications and source records attributed to Markus J. Henrich.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2008

Local effective dynamics of quantum systems: A generalized approach to work and heat

By computing the local energy expectation values with respect to some local measurement basis we show that for any quantum system there are two fundamentally different contributions: changes in energy that do not alter the local von Neumann entropy and changes that do. We identify the former as work and the latter as heat. Since our derivation makes no assumptions on the system Hamiltonian or its state, the result is valid even for states arbitrarily far from equilibrium. Examples are discussed ranging from the classical limit to purely quantum mechanical scenarios, i.e. where the Hamiltonian and the density operator do not commute.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2007

Modeling heat transport through completely positive maps

We investigate heat transport in a spin-1/2 Heisenberg chain, coupled locally to independent thermal baths of different temperature. The analysis is carried out within the framework of the theory of open systems by means of appropriate quantum master equations. The standard microscopic derivation of the weak-coupling Lindblad equation in the secular approximation is considered, and shown to be inadequate for the description of stationary nonequilibrium properties like a non-vanishing energy current. Furthermore, we derive an alternative master equation that is capable to describe a stationary energy current and, at the same time, leads to a completely positive dynamical map. This paves the way for efficient numerical investigations of heat transport in larger systems based on Monte Carlo wave function techniques.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2005

Global and local relaxation of a spin-chain under exact Schroedinger and master-equation dynamics

We solve the Schroedinger equation for an interacting spin-chain locally coupled to a quantum environment with a specific degeneracy structure. The reduced dynamics of the whole spin-chain as well as of single spins is analyzed. We show, that the total spin-chain relaxes to a thermal equilibrium state independently of the internal interaction strength. In contrast, the asymptotic states of each individual spin are thermal for weak but non-thermal for stronger spin-spin coupling. The transition between both scenarios is found for couplings of the order of $0.1 \times ΔE$, with $ΔE$ denoting the Zeeman-splitting. We compare these results with a master equation treatment; when time averaged, both approaches lead to the same asymptotic state and finally with analytical results.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗