Lagrangian description of Heisenberg and Landau–von Neumann equations of motion

An explicit Lagrangian description is given for the Heisenberg equation on the algebra of operators of a quantum system, and for the Landau–von Neumann equation on the manifold of quantum states which are isospectral with respect to a fixed reference quantum state.

Phenomenological quantum thermodynamics resource theory for closed bipartite Schottky systems

How to introduce thermodynamics to quantum mechanics? From numerous possibilities of solving this task, the simple choice is here: the conventional von Neumann equation deals with a density operator whose probability weights are time-independent. Because there is no reason apart from the reversible quantum mechanics that these weights have to be time-independent, this constraint is waived, which allows one to introduce thermodynamical concepts to quantum mechanics. This procedure is similar to that of Lindblad’s equation, but different in principle. But beyond this simple starting point, the applied thermodynamical concepts of discrete systems may perform a ‘source theory’ for other versions of phenomenological quantum thermodynamics. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fundamental aspects of nonequilibrium thermodynamics’.

Exact decoherence brought by one internal degree of freedom: von Neumann equation approach and examples

In a quantum measurement setting, it is known that environment-induced decoherence theory describes the emergence of effectively classical features of the quantum system–measuring apparatus composite system when the apparatus is allowed to interact with the environment. In [E. A. Galapon, Europhys. Lett. 113, 60007 (2016)], a measurement model is found to have the feature of inducing exact decoherence at a finite time via one internal degree of freedom of the apparatus provided that the apparatus is decomposed into a pointer and an inaccessible probe, with the pointer and the probe being in momentum-limited initial states. However, an issue can be raised against the model: while the factorization method of the time-evolution operator used there is formally correct, it is not completely rigorous due to some unstated conditions on the validity of the factorization in the Hilbert space of the model. Furthermore, no examples were presented there in implementing the measurement scheme in specific quantum systems. The goal of this paper is to re-examine the model and confirm its features independently by solving the von Neumann equation for the joint state of the composite system as a function of time. This approach reproduces the joint state obtained in the original work, leading to the same conditions for exact decoherence and orthogonal pointer states when the required initial conditions on the probe and pointer are imposed. We illustrate the exact decoherence process in the measurement of observables of a spin-1/2 particle and a quantum harmonic oscillator by using the model.

The Source Term of the Non-Equilibrium Statistical Operator

The method of Zubarev allows one to construct a statistical operator for the nonequilibrium. The von Neumann equation is modified introducing a source term that is considered as an infinitesimal small correction. This approach provides us with a very general and unified treatment of nonequilibrium processes. Considering as an example the electrical conductivity, we discuss the modification of the von Neumann equation to describe a stationary nonequilibrium process. The Zubarev approach has to be generalized to open quantum systems. The interaction of the system with the irrelevant degrees of freedom of the bath is globally described by the von Neumann equation with a finite source term. This is interpreted as a relaxation process to an appropriate relevant statistical operator. As an alternative, a quantum master equation can be worked out where the coupling to the bath is described by a dissipator. The production of entropy is analyzed.

Concepts of Phenomenological Irreversible Quantum Thermodynamics I: Closed Undecomposed Schottky Systems in Semi-Classical Description

If the von Neumann equation is modified by time dependent statistical weights, the time rate of entropy, the entropy exchange and the production of a Schottky system are derived whose Hamiltonian does not contain the interaction with the system’s environment. This interaction is semi-classically described by the quantum theoretical expressions of power and entropy exchange.