Upper bound for quantum entropy production from entropy flux

TL;DR

This paper derives an upper bound for quantum entropy production based on entropy flux, facilitating easier estimation in complex nonequilibrium quantum systems where direct calculation is challenging.

Contribution

It introduces a novel upper bound for quantum entropy production expressed through entropy flux, applicable to systems with observable-dependent fluxes.

Findings

Bound is applicable to systems with observable-dependent fluxes

Useful for estimating entropy production in quantum systems

Illustrated with a three-level maser and squeezed bath interactions

Abstract

Entropy production is a key quantity characterizing nonequilibrium systems. However, it can often be difficult to compute in practice, as it requires detailed information about the system and the dynamics it undergoes. This becomes even more difficult in the quantum domain, and if one is interested in generic nonequilibrium reservoirs, for which the standard thermal recipes no longer apply. In this paper, we derive an upper bound for the entropy production in terms of the entropy flux for a class of systems for which the flux is given in terms of a system's observable. Since currents are often easily accessible in this class of systems, this bound should prove useful for estimating the entropy production in a broad variety of processes. We illustrate the applicability of the bound by considering a three-level maser engine and a system interacting with a squeezed bath.