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Experimental Determination of Irreversible Entropy Production in out-of-Equilibrium Mesoscopic Quantum Systems

M. Brunelli, L. Fusco, R. Landig, W. Wieczorek, J. Hoelscher-Obermaier, G. Landi, F. L. Semião, A. Ferraro, N. Kiesel, T. Donner, G. De Chiara, and M. Paternostro
Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 160604 – Published 17 October 2018
Physics logo See Synopsis: Second Law in an Optical Cavity and a BEC
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Abstract

By making use of a recently proposed framework for the inference of thermodynamic irreversibility in bosonic quantum systems, we experimentally measure and characterize the entropy production rates in the nonequilibrium steady state of two different physical systems—a micromechanical resonator and a Bose-Einstein condensate—each coupled to a high finesse cavity and hence also subject to optical loss. Key features of our setups, such as the cooling of the mechanical resonator and signatures of a structural quantum phase transition in the condensate, are reflected in the entropy production rates. Our work demonstrates the possibility to explore irreversibility in driven mesoscopic quantum systems and paves the way to a systematic experimental assessment of entropy production beyond the microscopic limit.

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  • Received 3 July 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.160604

© 2018 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Quantum Information, Science & TechnologyAtomic, Molecular & Optical

Synopsis

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Second Law in an Optical Cavity and a BEC

Published 17 October 2018

Physicists observe entropy production in two intermediate-scale quantum systems, indicating that the systems have undergone an irreversible process.  

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Authors & Affiliations

M. Brunelli1, L. Fusco2, R. Landig3,*, W. Wieczorek4, J. Hoelscher-Obermaier5,6, G. Landi7, F. L. Semião8, A. Ferraro2, N. Kiesel5, T. Donner3, G. De Chiara2, and M. Paternostro2

  • 1Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
  • 2Centre for Theoretical Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen’s University, Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
  • 3Institute for Quantum Electronics, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
  • 4Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Göteborg, Sweden
  • 5University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology (VCQ), Boltzmanngasse 5, 1090 Vienna, Austria
  • 6Leibniz University Hannover, Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert-Einstein-Institute), Callinstraße 38, 30167 Hannover, Germany
  • 7Instituto de Física da Universidade de São Paulo, 05314-970 São Paulo, Brazil
  • 8Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC, 09210-170 Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil

  • *Present address: Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.

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Issue

Vol. 121, Iss. 16 — 19 October 2018

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