Stochastic entropy production for dynamical systems with restricted diffusion

TL;DR

This paper addresses the challenge of computing stochastic entropy production in systems with restricted diffusion, such as quantum systems with constants of motion, and demonstrates how to analyze entropy production in a three-level quantum system.

Contribution

It introduces a method to compute stochastic entropy production in systems with diffusion restricted to subspaces, exemplified by a three-level quantum system with constants of motion.

Findings

Established a nonequilibrium stationary state with constant entropy production.

Demonstrated overcoming mathematical difficulties in restricted diffusion scenarios.

Applied the framework to a Markovian quantum state diffusion model.

Abstract

Modelling the evolution of a system using stochastic dynamics typically implies a greater subjective uncertainty in the adopted system coordinates as time progresses, and stochastic entropy production has been developed as a measure of this change. In some situations the evolution of stochastic entropy production can be described using an It\^o process, but mathematical difficulties can emerge if diffusion in the system phase space is restricted to a subspace of lower dimension. This can arise if there are constants of the motion, for example, or more generally when there are functions of the coordinates that evolve without noise. We discuss such a case for an open three-level quantum system modelled within a framework of Markovian quantum state diffusion and show how the problem of computing the stochastic entropy production in such a situation can be overcome. We go on to illustrate how a nonequilibrium stationary state of the three-level system, with a constant mean production rate of stochastic entropy, can be established under suitable environmental couplings.