Open access
Datum
2016-02-26Typ
- Journal Article
Abstract
Thermodynamics is a highly successful macroscopic theory widely used across the natural sciences and for the construction of everyday devices, from car engines to solar cells. With thermodynamics predating quantum theory, research now aims to uncover the thermodynamic laws that govern finite size systems which may in addition host quantum effects. Recent theoretical breakthroughs include the characterisation of the efficiency of quantum thermal engines, the extension of classical non-equilibrium fluctuation theorems to the quantum regime and a new thermodynamic resource theory has led to the discovery of a set of second laws for finite size systems. These results have substantially advanced our understanding of nanoscale thermodynamics, however putting a finger on what is genuinely quantum in quantum thermodynamics has remained a challenge. Here we identify information processing tasks, the so-called projections, that can only be formulated within the framework of quantum mechanics. We show that the physical realisation of such projections can come with a non-trivial thermodynamic work only for quantum states with coherences. This contrasts with information erasure, first investigated by Landauer, for which a thermodynamic work cost applies for classical and quantum erasure alike. Repercussions on quantum work fluctuation relations and thermodynamic single-shot approaches are also discussed. Mehr anzeigen
Persistenter Link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000113984Publikationsstatus
publishedExterne Links
Zeitschrift / Serie
Scientific ReportsBand
Seiten / Artikelnummer
Verlag
NatureThema
Thermodynamics; Quantum informationOrganisationseinheit
03781 - Renner, Renato / Renner, Renato
Förderung
258932 - Generalized (quantum) information theory (EC)
Zugehörige Publikationen und Daten
Is new version of: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/111787