Dephasing and dissipation in qubit thermodynamics.

Abstract

We analyze the stochastic evolution and dephasing of a qubit within the quantum jump approach. It allows one to treat individual realizations of inelastic processes, and in this way it provides solutions, for instance, to problems in quantum thermodynamics and distributions in statistical mechanics. We demonstrate that dephasing and relaxation of the qubit render the Jarzynski and Crooks fluctuation relations (FRs) of nonequilibrium thermodynamics intact. On the contrary, the standard two-measurement protocol, taking into account only the fluctuations of the internal energy U, leads to deviations in FRs under the same conditions. We relate the average 〈e(-βU)〉 (where β is the inverse temperature) with the qubit's relaxation and dephasing rates in the weak dissipation limit and discuss this relationship for different mechanisms of decoherence.