Abstract
The thermodynamic behavior of out-of-equilibrium quantum systems in finite-time dynamics encompasses the description of energy fluctuations, which dictates a series of system's physical properties. In addition, strong interactions in many-body systems strikingly affect the energy-fluctuation statistics along a non-equilibrium dynamics. By driving transient currents to oppose the precursor to metal-Mott insulator transition in a diversity of dynamical regimes, we show how increasing correlations dramatically affect the statistics of energy fluctuations and consequently the quantum work distribution of finite Hubbard chains. Statistical properties of such distributions, as its skewness, that changes dramatically across the transition, can be related to irreversibility and entropy production. Even close to adiabaticity, the quasi quantum phase transition hinders equilibration, increasing the process irreversibility, and inducing strong quantum features in the quantum work distribution. In the Mott-insulating phase the work fluctuation-dissipation balance gets modified, with the irreversible entropy production dominating over work fluctuations. The effect of an interaction-driven quantum-phase-transition on thermodynamics quantities and irreversibility has to be considered in the design of protocols in small scale devices for application in quantum technology. Eventually, such many-body effects can also be employed in work extraction and refrigeration protocols at quantum scale.
Highlights
After more than a century, the increasing availability of nanoscale technologies has challenged the community to develop the well-established laws of thermodynamics beyond the so-called thermodynamic limit [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]; quantum thermodynamics is extending concepts, such as heat, work, and entropy to small few-particle quantum systems [1,8,9]
Relevant questions are as follows: what is the role of many-body interactions for quantum particles driven out of equilibrium, and how do they affect quantum thermodynamical quantities? Do they contribute or oppose reversibility [31] and thermalization? What if many-body interactions induce a Quantum phase transitions (QPTs), what signatures appear in thermodynamic distributions? And how do they depend on the system size?
Most of the previous studies of QPT signatures in quantum thermodynamics focused on QPTs driven by external fields and/or on the sudden quench regime
Summary
After more than a century, the increasing availability of nanoscale technologies has challenged the community to develop the well-established laws of thermodynamics beyond the so-called thermodynamic limit [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]; quantum thermodynamics is extending concepts, such as heat, work, and entropy to small few-particle quantum systems [1,8,9]. Most of the previous studies of QPT signatures in quantum thermodynamics focused on QPTs driven by external fields and/or on the sudden quench regime They analyzed features of quantum thermodynamic quantities, sometimes up to the second moment of their distribution, and their evolution as the critical parameter, usually an external field, is (suddenly) driven across the transition. Considering the out-ofequilibrium work probability distribution and its statistics, we inspect the first three moments, related to the mean, variance, and skewness The latter has been to a large extent overlooked, and we demonstrate that it allows to characterize the transition between the different coupling regimes, including the precursor to the metal-Mott-insulator QPT (pM-QPT) as well as the different dynamical regimes (sudden quench to nearly adiabatic). We relate the skewness with the entropy production and propose its role as a witness of irreversibility for many-body systems out of equilibrium
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
