Reconciliation of quantum local master equations with thermodynamics

Understand

The study of open quantum systems often relies on approximate master equations derived under the assumptions of weak coupling to the environment.

• However when the system is made of several interacting subsystems such a derivation is in many cases very hard.
• An alternative method, employed especially in the modelling of transport in mesoscopic systems, consists in using {\it local} master equations containing Lindblad operators acting locally only on the corresponding subsystem.
• It has been shown that this approach however generates inconsistencies with the laws of thermodynamics.