Quantum Irreversibility in a Misaligned Spin System

Abstract

A single spin that is misaligned with respect to the static external magnetic field is investigated as a toy model to clarify the nature of irreversibility in terms of inner friction and irreversible work. The coherence generation and the effects of unwanted transitions are analyzed in detail. The behavior of inner friction and irreversible work as a function of protocol time are analyzed for a finite-time unitary transformation. The coherence generation is shown to be the common sign for the inner friction and irreversible work. The excess energy sourced by the unwanted transitions for a quasistatic transformation is found to be the only sign for irreversible work. The angle The angle dependencies of the inner friction and irreversible work are also analyzed explicitly. The selected model and the considered realistic parameters are available to be implemented for the finite-time operations on the nuclear magnetic resonance setups.