Violation of Detailed Balance in Quantum Open Systems

TL;DR

This paper investigates how detailed balance can be violated in quantum open systems, revealing that persistent currents can exist at thermal equilibrium due to broken time-reversal symmetry in scattering processes.

Contribution

It demonstrates that detailed balance violation occurs beyond the Born approximation in quantum Markovian dynamics, linked to time-reversal symmetry breaking in scattering T-matrices.

Findings

Gibbs state remains stationary despite detailed balance violation

Persistent probability and heat currents can exist at thermal equilibrium

Violation is related to absence of time-reversal symmetry in scattering processes

Abstract

We consider the dynamics of a quantum system immersed in a dilute gas at thermodynamics equilibrium using a quantum Markovian master equation derived by applying the low-density limit technique. It is shown that the Gibbs state at the bath temperature is always stationary while the detailed balance condition at this state can be violated beyond the Born approximation. This violation is generically related to the absence of time-reversal symmetry for the scattering T-matrix, which produces a thermalization mechanism that allows the presence of persistent probability and heat currents at thermal equilibrium. This phenomenon is illustrated by a model of an electron hopping between three quantum dots in an external magnetic field.