Out of equilibrium thermodynamics of quantum harmonic chains

Understand

The thermodynamic implications for the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of quantum systems are to date largely unexplored, especially for quantum many-body systems.

• In this paper we investigate the paradigmatic case of an array of nearest-neighbor coupled quantum harmonic oscillators interacting with a thermal bath and subjected to a quench of the inter-oscillator coupling strength.
• We study the work done on the system and its irreversible counterpart, and characterize analytically the fluctuation relations of the ensuing out-of-equilibrium dynamics.
• Finally, we showcase an interesting functional link between the dissipated work produced across a two-element chain and their degree of general quantum correlations.