PhD student from the group of Ronnie Kosloff - Roie Dann

Thermodynamically consistent dynamics of driven open quantum systems:
from an autonomous framework to the semi-classical description

Recordings will be available here

Abstract
The relation between quantum mechanics and thermodynamics can be traced back to the
seminal works of Planck and Einstein. This relation provides complementary approaches to
analyse the same physical system, allowing an independent validation of theoretical
predictions and understanding the quantum origins of macroscopic behaviour.
In the present lecture we will show that thermodynamic principles enforce strict restrictions
on the dynamics of open quantum systems. We address this issue by formulating the
thermodynamic principles in terms of a set of mathematical postulates. These serve as
additional restrictions on the structure of the dynamical equation of motion, the master
equation.
We will start by briefly explaining the basic aspects of the theory open quantum systems,
which describes the behaviour of quantum systems coupled to an environment. Following, we
will analyse the case of an autonomous system, including a time-independent Hamiltonian,
and discuss the implication of the obtained structure. We will conclude by deriving the
transition to a semi-classical description, evolving a time-dependent Hamiltonian and consider
a simple example for illustration.