Dodin A, Willard AP. Nonequilibrium Work Relations and Response Theories in Ensemble Quantum Systems.
J Phys Chem Lett 2021;
12:11151-11157. [PMID:
34757738 DOI:
10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c01315]
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Abstract
We develop a nonequilibrium response theory for macroscopic quantum systems that separates the contributions of ensemble heterogeneity and intrinsic quantum uncertainty. To accomplish this, we describe systems with a quantum P-ensemble, which goes beyond the standard density matrix description by explicitly specifying the classical heterogeneity between individual quantum systems in an ensemble. We use the P-ensemble formalism to present quantum generalizations of linear response theory and the Jarzynski nonequilibrium work relation. We derive these generalizations from a Bochkov-Kuzovlev generating functional for quantum P-ensembles, which can be further utilized to derive all orders of response theory that apply to ensemble quantum systems. We contrast these developments with their ρ-ensemble analogs, and we discuss how these P-ensemble theories provide a guide for an effective application of single molecule experiments.
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