On Quantum Entropy and Excess Entropy Production in a System-Environment Pure State

TL;DR

This paper investigates quantum thermodynamic entropy in pure system-environment states, focusing on excess entropy production due to quantum spreading, and establishes conditions under which classical thermodynamics emerges from quantum behavior.

Contribution

It introduces a basis-dependent quantum entropy measure and analyzes excess entropy production, connecting quantum spreading with classical thermodynamic relations.

Findings

Excess entropy production arises from quantum spreading of wavepackets.

Classical thermodynamics is recovered in the limit of Lorentzian superpositions with no excess entropy.

A formal framework for quantifying excess entropy production in quantum systems is developed.

Abstract

We explore a recently introduced quantum thermodynamic entropy $S^Q_{univ}$ of a pure state of a composite system-environment computational "universe" with a simple system $\mathcal{S}$ coupled to a constant temperature bath $\mathcal{E}$. The principal focus is "excess entropy production" in which the quantum entropy change is greater than expected from the classical entropy-free energy relationship. We analyze this in terms of quantum spreading of time dependent states, and its interplay with the idea of a microcanonical shell. The entropy takes a basis-dependent Shannon information definition. We argue for the zero-order $\mathcal{SE}$ energy basis as the unique choice that gives classical thermodynamic relations in the limit of weak coupling and high density of states, including an exact division into system and environment components. Entropy production takes place due to two kinds of processes. The first is classical "ergodization" that fills the full density of states within the microcanonical shell. The second is excess entropy production related to quantum spreading or "quantum ergodization" of the wavepacket that effectively increases the width of the energy shell. Lorentzian superpositions with finite microcanonical shell width lead to classical results as the limiting case, with no excess entropy. We then consider a single $\mathcal{SE}$ zero-order initial state, as the examplar of extreme excess entropy production. Systematic formal results are obtained for a unified treatment of excess entropy production for time-dependent Lorentzian superpositions, and verified computationally. It is speculated that the idea of free energy might be extended to a notion of "available energy" corresponding to the excess entropy production. A unified perspective on quantum thermodynamic entropy is thereby attained from the classical limit to extreme quantum conditions.