Thermodynamical Control by Frequent Quantum Measurements

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dc.creatorErez, Noam
dc.creatorGordon, Goren
dc.creatorNest, Mathias
dc.creatorKurizki, Gershon
dc.date2008-04-14
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T09:32:15Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T09:32:15Z
dc.descriptionHeat flow between a large ``bath'' and a smaller system brings them progressively closer to thermal equilibrium while increasing their entropy. Deviations from this trend are fluctuations involving a small fraction of a statistical ensemble of systems interacting with the bath: in this respect, quantum and classical thermodynamics are in agreement. Can there be drastic differences between them? Here we address a distinctly quantum mechanical setting that displays such differences: disturbances of thermal equilibrium between two-level systems (TLS) and a bath by frequent and brief quantum (non-demolishing) measurements of the TLS energy-states. If the measurements are frequent enough to induce either the Zeno or the anti-Zeno regime, namely, the slowdown or speedup of the TLS relaxation, then the resulting entropy and temperature of both the system and the bath are found to be completely unrelated to what is expected by standard thermodynamical rules that hold for memoryless baths. The practical advantage of these anomalies is the possibility of very fast control of heat and entropy, allowing cooling and state-purification of quantum systems much sooner than their thermal equilibration time.
dc.description10 Pages. Pre-submission version of Nature {\bf 452}, 724 (2008). Includes Supplementary Information
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/0804.2178
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/0804.2178
dc.identifierNature 452, 724 (2008)
dc.identifierdoi:10.1038/nature06873
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/158744
dc.subjectQuantum Physics
dc.titleThermodynamical Control by Frequent Quantum Measurements
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