Print Email Facebook Twitter Smoothed generalized free energies for thermodynamics Title Smoothed generalized free energies for thermodynamics Author Van Der Meer, Remco Ng, N.H.Y. (TU Delft Quantum Information and Software; National University of Singapore) Wehner, S.D.C. (TU Delft Quantum Internet Division; TU Delft Quantum Information and Software) Department Quantum Internet Division Date 2017 Abstract In the study of thermodynamics for nanoscale quantum systems, a family of quantities known as generalized free energies have been derived as necessary and sufficient conditions that govern state transitions. These free energies become important especially in the regime where the system of interest consists of only a few (quantum) particles. In this work, we introduce a family of smoothed generalized free energies, by constructing explicit smoothing procedures that maximize or minimize the free energy over an ball of quantum states. In contrast to previously known smoothed free energies, these quantities now allow us to make an operational statement for approximate thermodynamic state transitions. We show that these smoothed quantities converge to the standard free energy in the thermodynamic limit. To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ce5e2955-a8fb-4f1f-b9f3-56056759eb04 DOI https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.96.062135 ISSN 2469-9926 Source Physical Review A: covering atomic, molecular, and optical physics and quantum information, 96 (6), 062135-1 - 062135-18 Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights © 2017 Remco Van Der Meer, N.H.Y. Ng, S.D.C. Wehner Files PDF PhysRevA.96.062135.pdf 1 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:ce5e2955-a8fb-4f1f-b9f3-56056759eb04/datastream/OBJ/view