Fast Route to Thermalization

TL;DR

This paper introduces a control scheme for quantum systems interacting with thermal baths, enabling rapid thermalization and cooling by manipulating the system between Gibbs states, with a detailed microscopic and thermodynamic analysis.

Contribution

It develops a novel control method based on a derived non-adiabatic master equation, allowing for accelerated thermalization and entropy control in open quantum systems.

Findings

Derived a non-adiabatic master equation including bath interactions.

Provided a general solution for a two-level system model.

Introduced a reverse-engineering control scheme for quantum thermalization.

Abstract

We present a control scheme for quantum systems coupled to a thermal bath. We demonstrate state-to-state control between two Gibbs states. This scheme can be used to accelerate thermalization and cool the open system. Starting from a microscopic description, we derive the reduced system dynamics, leading to a non-adiabatic master equation. The equation contains non-trivial effects due to the non-adiabatic driving and bath interaction. These special features enable controlling the open system and accelerating the entropy changes. For a two-level system model, we obtain a general solution and introduce a reverse-engineering scheme for control. The control problem is analyzed in the context of the theory of quantum control and the accompanying thermodynamic cost.