Dynamics of energy transport and entropy production in ac-driven quantum electron systems

TL;DR

This paper investigates the real-time energy flow and entropy generation in ac-driven quantum electron systems, emphasizing the importance of energy storage and thermodynamic laws at each moment, using a simple model for illustration.

Contribution

It introduces a framework for analyzing instantaneous thermodynamic laws and energy flows in driven quantum systems, highlighting the role of contact and central region energies.

Findings

Identification of heat fluxes through different device parts

Demonstration of energy storage's role in entropy production

Analysis of conservative and dissipative heat contributions

Abstract

We analyze the time-resolved energy transport and the entropy production in ac-driven quantum coherent electron systems coupled to multiple reservoirs at finite temperature. At slow driving we formulate the first and second laws of thermodynamics valid at each instant of time. We identify heat fluxes flowing though the different pieces of the device and emphasize the importance of the energy stored in the contact and central regions for the second law of thermodynamics to be instantaneously satisfied. In addition, we discuss conservative and dissipative contributions to the heat flux and to the entropy production as a function of time. We illustrate these ideas with a simple model corresponding to a driven level coupled to two reservoirs with different chemical potentials.