Path integral approach to heat in quantum thermodynamics

Ken Funo and H. T. Quan
Phys. Rev. E 98, 012113 – Published 12 July 2018

Abstract

We study the heat statistics of a quantum Brownian motion described by the Caldeira-Leggett model. By using the path integral approach, we introduce a concept of the quantum heat functional along every pair of Feynman paths. This approach has the advantage of improving our understanding about heat in quantum systems. First, we demonstrate the microscopic reversibility of the system by connecting the heat functional to the forward and time-reversed probabilities. Second, we analytically prove the quantum-classical correspondence of the heat functional and their statistics, which allows us to obtain better intuitions about the difference between classical and quantum heat.

  • Figure
  • Received 7 May 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.98.012113

©2018 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Statistical Physics & Thermodynamics

Authors & Affiliations

Ken Funo1 and H. T. Quan1,2,*

  • 1School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
  • 2Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing 100871, China

  • *htquan@pku.edu.cn

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Issue

Vol. 98, Iss. 1 — July 2018

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