Abstract
We consider a regular chain of quantum particles with nearest neighbor interactions in a canonical state with temperature . We analyze the conditions under which the state factors into a product of canonical density matrices with respect to groups of particles each and under which these groups have the same temperature . In quantum mechanics the minimum group size depends on the temperature , contrary to the classical case. We apply our analysis to a harmonic chain and find that for temperatures above the Debye temperature and below.
- Received 30 December 2003
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.080402
©2004 American Physical Society