Microscopic analysis of the microscopic reversibility in quantum systems

We investigate the robustness of the microscopic reversibility in open quantum systems which is discussed by Monnai [arXiv:1106.1982 (2011)]. We derive an exact relation between the forward transition probability and the reversed transition probability in the case of a general measurement basis. We show that the microscopic reversibility acquires some corrections in general and discuss the physical meaning of the corrections. Under certain processes, some of the correction terms vanish and we numerically confirmed that the remaining correction term becomes negligible; the microscopic reversibility almost holds even when the local system cannot be regarded as macroscopic.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure

Fluctuation theorem for currents in open quantum systems

A quantum-mechanical framework is set up to describe the full counting statistics of particles flowing between reservoirs in an open system under time-dependent driving. A symmetry relation is obtained which is the consequence of microreversibility for the probability of the nonequilibrium work and the transfer of particles and energy between the reservoirs. In some appropriate long-time limit, the symmetry relation leads to a steady-state quantum fluctuation theorem for the currents between the reservoirs. On this basis, relationships are deduced which extend the Onsager-Casimir reciprocity relations to the nonlinear response coefficients.Comment: 19 page

Non-equilibrium work relations

This is a brief review of recently derived relations describing the behaviour of systems far from equilibrium. They include the Fluctuation Theorem, Jarzynski's and Crooks' equalities, and an extended form of the Second Principle for general steady states. They are very general and their proofs are, in most cases, disconcertingly simple.Comment: Brief Summer School Lecture Note