Nonequilibrium Entropy Production Research Articles

Nonequilibrium fluctuations of a quantum heat engine

The thermodynamic properties of quantum heat engines are stochastic owing to the presence of thermal and quantum fluctuations. We here experimentally investigate the efficiency and nonequilibrium entropy production statistics of a spin-1/2 quantum Otto cycle in a nuclear magnetic resonance setup. We first study the correlations between work and heat within a cycle by extracting their joint distribution for different driving times. We show that near perfect correlation, corresponding to the tight-coupling condition between work and heat, can be achieved. In this limit, the reconstructed efficiency distribution is peaked at the deterministic thermodynamic efficiency, and fluctuations are strongly suppressed. We further successfully test the second law in the form of a joint fluctuation relation for work and heat in the quantum cycle. Our results characterize the statistical features of a small-scale thermal machine in the quantum domain, and provide means to control them.

Nonequilibrium dynamics and entropy production of a trapped colloidal particle in a complex nonreciprocal medium.

We discuss the two-dimensional motion of a Brownian particle that is confined to a harmonic trap and driven by a shear flow. The surrounding medium induces memory effects modeled by a linear, typically nonreciprocal coupling of the particle coordinates to an auxiliary (hidden) variable. The system's behavior resulting from the microscopic Langevin equationsfor the three variables is analyzed by means of exact moment equationsderived from the Fokker-Planck representation, and numerical Brownian dynamics simulations. Increasing the shear rate beyond a critical value we observe, for suitable coupling scenarios with nonreciprocal elements, a transition from a stationary to a nonstationary state, corresponding to an escape from the trap. We analyze this behavior, analytically and numerically, in terms of the associated moments of the probability distribution, and from the perspective of nonequilibrium thermodynamics. Intriguingly, the entropy production rate remains finite when crossing the stability threshold.

Emergence of cosmic space in Tsallis modified gravity from equilibrium and non-equilibrium thermodynamic perspective

In the context of Tsallis entropy, we explore the connection between the law of emergence and the thermodynamic laws from a more accurate non-equilibrium perspective. Here, the equilibrium Clausius relation does not conform to the standard energy-momentum conservation. Therefore, an effective gravitational coupling is introduced to rewrite the field equation similar to general relativity, and the corresponding generalized continuity equation is obtained. As a result, thermodynamic laws were modified with the non-equilibrium energy dissipation and entropy production terms, using which we derive the law of emergence. The investigation of the law of emergence and the entropy maximization principle with Tsallis entropy in the non-equilibrium perspective shows that both result in the same constraints as obtained in other gravity theories and the equilibrium context of Tsallis entropy, except for an additional constraint on the Tsallis parameter as a result of extra entropy production. Consequently, the thermodynamic interpretation of the expansion of the universe stays valid even with quantum corrections to the horizon entropy since the correction terms in Tsallis entropy can be treated as the quantum corrections to Bekenstein-Hawking entropy.

Experimental signature of initial quantum coherence on entropy production

We report on the experimental quantification of the contribution to non-equilibrium entropy production stemming from the quantum coherence content in the initial state of a qubit exposed to both coherent driving and dissipation. Our experimental demonstration builds on the exquisite experimental control of the spin state of a nitrogen-vacancy defect in diamond and is underpinned, theoretically, by the formulation of a generalized fluctuation theorem designed to track the effects of quantum coherence. Our results provide significant evidence of the possibility to pinpoint the genuinely quantum mechanical contributions to the thermodynamics of non-equilibrium quantum processes in an open quantum systems scenario.

Thermodynamic stability analysis of non‐Fourier model‐based bio‐heat transfer in laser‐irradiated cylindrical‐shaped multilayered biological tissue

AbstractThe present research focuses on examining the thermic response of living tissue in the form of a triple‐layered cylindrical structure when subjected to laser light and the compatibility analysis of non‐Fourier heat transfer with thermodynamics second law. The temperature field in the triple‐layered cylindrical living tissue subjected to laser light is determined by numerically solving the transient radiative transfer equation in conjunction with the dual phase lag (DPL) based bioheat equation. Once the temperature field is known, the equilibrium and nonequilibrium entropy production rate (EPR) is calculated based on the hypothesis of classical irreversible thermodynamics and extended irreversible thermodynamics, respectively. The present results are verified against the data from the literature and found a good match between them. A comparative analysis of the Fourier and non‐Fourier models is accomplished. The equilibrium and nonequilibrium EPR values for the Fourier model are found to be positive. While the equilibrium EPR is negative for non‐Fourier heat conduction and does not satisfy the thermodynamics second law, nonequilibrium EPR is always a positive value for Fourier, DPL, and hyperbolic models and satisfies thermodynamics second law. It has been investigated how thermal relaxation times affect the temperature field and EPRs in tissue are subjected to laser light.

Numerical study of non-adiabatic quantum thermodynamics of the driven resonant level model: non-equilibrium entropy production and higher order corrections

We present our numerical study on quantum thermodynamics of the resonant level model subjected to non-equilibrium condition as well as external driving. Following our previous work on non-equilibrium quantum thermodynamics (Dou et al 2020 Phys. Rev. B 101 184304), we expand the density operator into a series of power in the driving speed, where we can determine the non-adiabatic thermodynamic quantities. Particularly, we calculate the non-equilibrium entropy production rate as well as higher order non-adiabatic corrections to the energy and/or population, which is not determined previously in Dou et al (2020 Phys. Rev. B 101 184304). In the limit of weak system-bath coupling, our results reduce to the one from the quantum master equation.

Hessian geometry of nonequilibrium chemical reaction networks and entropy production decompositions

We derive the Hessian geometric structure of nonequilibrium chemical reaction networks on the flux and force spaces induced by the Legendre duality of convex dissipation functions and characterize their dynamics as a generalized flow. With this geometric structure, we can extend theories of nonequilibrium systems with quadratic dissipation functions to more general cases with nonquadratic ones, which are pivotal for studying chemical reaction networks. By applying generalized notions of orthogonality in Hessian geometry to chemical reaction networks, two generalized decompositions of the entropy production rate are obtained, each of which captures gradient-flow and minimum-dissipation aspects in nonequilibrium dynamics.

Lower bound for entropy production rate in stochastic systems far from equilibrium

We show that the Schnakenberg's entropy production rate in a master equationis lower bounded by a function of the weight of the Markov graph, here defined as the sum of the absolute values of probability currents over the edges. The result is valid for time-dependent nonequilibrium entropy production rates. Moreover, in a general framework, we prove a theorem showing that the Kullback-Leibler divergence between distributions P(s) and P^{'}(s):=P(m(s)), where m is an involution, m(m(s))=s, is lower bounded by a function of the total variation of P and P^{'}, for any m. The bound is tight and it improves on Pinsker's inequality for this setup. This result illustrates a connection between nonequilibrium thermodynamics and graph theory with interesting applications.

The effect of nonequilibrium entropy production on the quantum Fisher information and correlations

In this study, we apply quantum master equations beyond secular approximation and investigate the nonequilibrium thermodynamic cost of enhanced quantum metrology and quantum correlations. We find that the nonequilibrium conditions enhance quantum Fisher information (QFI) and quantum correlations predominantly for weak tunneling scenarios. The enhancement is assisted by a corresponding increase in the thermodynamic cost characterized by the entropy production rate (EPR). For the strong tunneling regimes, the QFI and quantum correlations cannot be unceasingly boosted by higher thermodynamic costs and decay once the system is overburdened with extremely large energy currents. The result indicates that for open systems with weak tunneling rates, thermodynamic cost can be potentially exploited to improve the quantum metrology and quantum correlations.

Nonequilibrium temperature, entropy production, and bulk viscosity of one-dimensional normal shock waves.

The nonequilibrium temperature in the kinetic theory of gases is reexamined and an alternative definition of the temperature in terms of the local equilibrium distribution function is proposed. The alternative definition introduces a new physical quantity, 'exoenergy,' which represents the nonequilibrium nature of thermodynamic systems. The internal energy equation is split into two equations, the temperature equation and the exoenergy equation. In order to rationalize the equation splitting, the nonequilibrium thermodynamics is considered introducing the nonequilibrium entropy phenomenologically. The proposed temperature equation resolves the overshooting anomaly of temperature profiles of the Monte Carlo data for one-dimensional normal shock waves. The exoenergy equation makes the theory self-consistent and gives the entropy production of shock waves in closed form. The theory gives a general form of the shock wave equation and the general relation of the bulk viscosity to the shear viscosity and the heat conductivity of dilute monatomic gases.

Thermodynamic Uncertainty Relation for Arbitrary Initial States.

The thermodynamic uncertainty relation (TUR) describes a trade-off relation between nonequilibrium currents and entropy production and serves as a fundamental principle of nonequilibrium thermodynamics. However, currently known TURs presuppose either specific initial states or an infinite-time average, which severely limits the range of applicability. Here we derive a finite-time TUR valid for arbitrary initial states from the Cramér-Rao inequality. We find that the variance of an accumulated current is bounded from below by the instantaneous current at the final time, which suggests that "the boundary is constrained by the bulk". We apply our results to feedback-controlled processes and successfully explain a recent experiment which reports a violation of a modified TUR with feedback control. We also derive a TUR that is linear in the total entropy production and valid for discrete-time Markov chains with nonsteady initial states. The obtained bound exponentially improves the existing bounds in a discrete-time regime.

Time Evolution of Open Nonequilibrium Systems and Irreversibility

The foundation of the nonequilibrium statistical mechanics on the basis of dynamics was formulated by Bogoliubov in his seminal works. In this report we use his ideas of reduced description to analyze thoroughly the time evolution of open systems in the context of nonequilibrium statistical operator method. In particular, we consider the notion of entropy which is a central physical concept. The thermodynamic entropy, information entropy, entropy of nonequilibrium states and entropy production were discussed tightly in this context. The corresponding procedure of averaging (smoothing) and the notion of irreversibility were discussed as well.

The entropy production for thermal operations

According to the first and second laws of thermodynamics and the definitions of work and heat, microscopic expressions for the non-equilibrium entropy production have been achieved. Recently, a redefinition of heat has been presented in [Nature Communications volume 8, Article number: 2180 (2017)]. Since thermal operations play an important role in the resource theory of thermodynamics, it would be very interesting to find out the effect of the above-mentioned definition on the expression of the entropy production for these kind of operations. This is one of the aims of the present paper. Using the new definition of heat, it is shown that the entropy production is the same as the mutual information between a system and a bath both for thermal operations and, if the system-bath initial state is factorized, for entropy-preserving operations. It is also discussed that how one can recognize the type of the correlation between a system and a bath through knowledge of the initial state of the system only. It is shown that if the initial state of a system is diagonal in the energy basis, the thermal operations cannot create a quantum correlation between the system and the bath, however, if the system initial state is coherent Gibbs state, there cannot be classical correlation due to the thermal operations.

Probing the thermal effects of voltage hysteresis in anionic redox-based lithium-rich cathodes using isothermal calorimetry

Probing the thermal effects of voltage hysteresis in anionic redox-based lithium-rich cathodes using isothermal calorimetry

Entropy production rate as a criterion for inconsistency in decision theory

Individual and group decisions are complex, often involving choosing an apt alternative from a multitude of options. Evaluating pairwise comparisons breaks down such complex decision problems into tractable ones. Pairwise comparison matrices (PCMs) are regularly used to solve multiple-criteria decision-making problems, for example, using Saaty’s analytic hierarchy process (AHP) framework. However, there are two significant drawbacks of using PCMs. First, humans evaluate PCMs in an inconsistent manner. Second, not all entries of a large PCM can be reliably filled by human decision makers. We address these two issues by first establishing a novel connection between PCMs and time-irreversible Markov processes. Specifically, we show that every PCM induces a family of dissipative maximum path entropy random walks (MERW) over the set of alternatives. We show that only ‘consistent’ PCMs correspond to detailed balanced MERWs. We identify the non-equilibrium entropy production in the induced MERWs as a metric of inconsistency of the underlying PCMs. Notably, the entropy production satisfies all of the recently laid out criteria for reasonable consistency indices. We also propose an approach to use incompletely filled PCMs in AHP. Potential future avenues are discussed as well.

Shortcuts to adiabaticity applied to nonequilibrium entropy production: an information geometry viewpoint

We apply the method of shortcuts to adiabaticity to nonequilibrium systems. For unitary dynamics, the system Hamiltonian is separated into two parts. One of them defines the adiabatic states for the state to follow and the nonadiabatic transitions are prevented by the other part. This property is implemented to the nonequilibrium entropy production and we find that the entropy is separated into two parts. The separation represents the Pythagorean theorem for the Kullback–Leibler divergence and an information-geometric interpretation is obtained. We also study a lower bound of the entropy, which is applied to derive a trade-off relation between time, entropy and state distance.

Effect of Temperature Jump on Nonequilibrium Entropy Generation in a MOSFET Transistor Using Dual-Phase-Lagging Model

This paper investigates the effect of temperature-jump boundary condition on nonequilibrium entropy production under the effect of the dual-phase-lagging (DPL) heat conduction model in a two-dimensional sub-100 nm metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET). The transient DPL model is solved using finite element method. Also, the influences of the governing parameters on global entropy generation for the following cases—(I) constant applied temperature, (II) temperature-jump boundary condition, and (III) a realistic MOSFET with volumetric heat source and adiabatic boundaries—are discussed in detail and depicted graphically. The analysis of our results indicates that entropy generation minimization within a MOSFET can be achieved by using temperature-jump boundary condition and for low values of Knudsen number. A significant reduction of the order of 85% of total entropy production is observed when a temperature-jump boundary condition is adopted.

Non-equilibrium energy transport and entropy production due to laser short-pulse irradiation

Laser short-pulse heating of a nano-size wire is considered and entropy generation rate is predicted during the heating pulse. The analytical solution of the heat equation is obtained using the Lie point symmetry for the laser short-pulse heating. The nano-size wire is assumed to be symmetric along its y-axis. Laser pulse intensity is considered to be Gaussian at the irradiated surface while the exponential decay of the laser pulse is incorporated in the time domain. It is found that surface temperature variation in the lattice subsystem almost follows the laser pulse intensity distribution at the surface. Entropy generation rate attains low values along the symmetry axis and it increases considerably in the region of the nano-size wire edges. This behavior is associated with the temperature gradient, which attains high values in the region close to the nano-size wire edge.

Path-dependent entropy production

A rigorous derivation of nonequilibrium entropy production via the path-integral formalism is presented. Entropy production is defined as the entropy change piled in a heat reservoir as a result of a nonequilibrium thermodynamic process. It is a central quantity by which various forms of the fluctuation theorem are obtained. The two kinds of the stochastic dynamics are investigated: the Langevin dynamics for an even-parity state and the Brownian motion of a single particle. Mathematical ambiguities in deriving the functional form of the entropy production, which depends on path in state space, are clarified by using a rigorous quantum mechanical approach.

Potential and flux field landscape theory. II. Non-equilibrium thermodynamics of spatially inhomogeneous stochastic dynamical systems.

We have established a general non-equilibrium thermodynamic formalism consistently applicable to both spatially homogeneous and, more importantly, spatially inhomogeneous systems, governed by the Langevin and Fokker-Planck stochastic dynamics with multiple state transition mechanisms, using the potential-flux landscape framework as a bridge connecting stochastic dynamics with non-equilibrium thermodynamics. A set of non-equilibrium thermodynamic equations, quantifying the relations of the non-equilibrium entropy, entropy flow, entropy production, and other thermodynamic quantities, together with their specific expressions, is constructed from a set of dynamical decomposition equations associated with the potential-flux landscape framework. The flux velocity plays a pivotal role on both the dynamic and thermodynamic levels. On the dynamic level, it represents a dynamic force breaking detailed balance, entailing the dynamical decomposition equations. On the thermodynamic level, it represents a thermodynamic force generating entropy production, manifested in the non-equilibrium thermodynamic equations. The Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process and more specific examples, the spatial stochastic neuronal model, in particular, are studied to test and illustrate the general theory. This theoretical framework is particularly suitable to study the non-equilibrium (thermo)dynamics of spatially inhomogeneous systems abundant in nature. This paper is the second of a series.