Perturbative treatment for stationary state of local master equation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a perturbative method to solve steady states of local master equations, clarifying the role of quantum coherence in thermodynamic consistency for weakly coupled open systems.

Contribution

It presents a novel perturbative approach for stationary states of local master equations, linking quantum coherence with thermodynamic consistency.

Findings

Stationary states result from competition between incoherent operations and unitary coherence.

Quantum coherence is related to thermodynamic consistency in local master equations.

The method is demonstrated on two simple models.

Abstract

The local approach to construct master equation for a composite open system with a weak internal coupling is simple and seems reasonable. However, it is thermodynamic consistent only when the subsystems are resonantly coupled. Efforts are being made to understand the inconsistency and test the validity of the local master equation. We present a perturbative method to solve the steady-state solutions of linear local master equations, which are demonstrated by two simple models. The solving process shows the stationary state as the result of competition between incoherent operations and the unitary creating quantum coherence, and consequently relate quantum coherence with thermodynamic consistency.