Quantum states from mixtures of equilibrium distributions

Abstract

We construct and explore a family of states for quantum systems in contact with two or more heath reservoirs. The reservoirs are described by equilibrium distributions. The interaction of each reservoir with the bulk of the system is encoded in a probability, which characterises the particle exchange among them and depends in general on the particle momentum. The convex combination of the reservoir distributions, weighted with the aforementioned probabilities, defines a new distribution. We establish the existence of an emission–absorption regime in which the new distribution generates a non-equilibrium quantum state. We develop a systematic field theory framework for constructing this state and illustrate its physical properties on a simple model. In this context we derive the particle current full counting statistics, the heat current and the Lorenz number. The entropy production and the relative quantum fluctuations are also determined.