The Third Law of Quantum Thermodynamics in the Presence of Anomalous Couplings

TL;DR

This paper analytically investigates a harmonic oscillator with velocity-dependent coupling to a heat bath, demonstrating that such coupling ensures the third law of thermodynamics by causing free energy and entropy to decay rapidly as temperature approaches zero.

Contribution

It introduces an analytical study of quantum thermodynamics with velocity-dependent coupling, showing its role in satisfying the third law.

Findings

Free energy and entropy decay rapidly at low temperatures

Velocity-dependent coupling helps uphold the third law

Analytical expressions derived for thermodynamic functions

Abstract

The quantum thermodynamic functions of a harmonic oscillator coupled to a heat bath through velocity-dependent coupling are obtained analytically. It is shown that both the free energy and the entropy decay fast with the temperature in relation to that of the usual coupling from. This implies that the velocity-dependent coupling helps to ensure the third law of thermodynamics.