Steady state in strong system-bath coupling regime: Reaction coordinate versus perturbative expansion

Corrections to the Hamiltonian induced by finite-strength coupling to the environment

If a quantum system interacts with the environment, then the Hamiltonian acquires a correction known as the Lamb-shift term. There are two other corrections to the Hamiltonian, related to the stationary state. Namely, the stationary state is to first approximation a Gibbs state with respect to original Hamiltonian. However, if we have finite coupling, then the true stationary state will be different, and regarding it as a Gibbs state to some effective Hamiltonian, one can extract a correction, which is called "steady-state" correction. Alternatively, one can take a static point of view, and consider the reduced state of total equilibrium state, i.e., system plus bath Gibbs state. The extracted Hamiltonian correction is called the "mean-force" correction. This paper presents several analytical results on second-order corrections (in coupling strength) of the three types mentioned above. Instead of the steady state, we focus on a state annihilated by the Liouvillian of the master equation, labeling it as the "quasi-steady state." Specifically, we derive a general formula for the mean-force correction as well as the quasi-steady state and Lamb-shift correction for a general class of master equations. Furthermore, specific formulas for corrections are obtained for the Davies, Bloch-Redfield, and cumulant equation (refined weak coupling). In particular, the cumulant equation serves as a case study of the Liouvillian, featuring a nontrivial fourth-order generator. This generator forms the basis for calculating the diagonal quasi-steady-state correction. We consider spin-boson model as an example, and in addition to using our formulas for corrections, we consider mean-force correction from reaction-coordinate approach.

Full counting statistics and coherences: Fluctuation symmetry in heat transport with the unified quantum master equation

Recently, a "unified" quantum master equation was derived and shown to be of the Gorini-Kossakowski-Lindblad-Sudarshan form. This equation describes the dynamics of open quantum systems in a manner that forgoes the full secular approximation and retains the impact of coherences between eigenstates close in energy. We implement full counting statistics with the unified quantum master equation to investigate the statistics of energy currents through open quantum systems with nearly degenerate levels. We show that, in general, this equation gives rise to dynamics that satisfy fluctuation symmetry, a sufficient condition for the Second Law of Thermodynamics at the level of average fluxes. For systems with nearly degenerate energy levels, such that coherences build up, the unified equation is simultaneously thermodynamically consistent and more accurate than the fully secular master equation. We exemplify our results for a "V" system facilitating energy transport between two thermal baths at different temperatures. We compare the statistics of steady-state heat currents through this system as predicted by the unified equation to those given by the Redfield equation, which is less approximate but, in general, not thermodynamically consistent. We also compare results to the secular equation, where coherences are entirely abandoned. We find that maintaining coherences between nearly degenerate levels is essential to properly capture the current and its cumulants. On the other hand, the relative fluctuations of the heat current, which embody the thermodynamic uncertainty relation, display inconsequential dependence on quantum coherences.

Quantum thermal transport beyond second order with the reaction coordinate mapping

Standard quantum master equation techniques, such as the Redfield or Lindblad equations, are perturbative to second order in the microscopic system–reservoir coupling parameter λ. As a result, the characteristics of dissipative systems, which are beyond second order in λ, are not captured by such tools. Moreover, if the leading order in the studied effect is higher-than-quadratic in λ, a second-order description fundamentally fails even at weak coupling. Here, using the reaction coordinate (RC) quantum master equation framework, we are able to investigate and classify higher-than-second-order transport mechanisms. This technique, which relies on the redefinition of the system–environment boundary, allows for the effects of system–bath coupling to be included to high orders. We study steady-state heat current beyond second-order in two models: The generalized spin-boson model with non-commuting system–bath operators and a three-level ladder system. In the latter model, heat enters in one transition and is extracted from a different one. Crucially, we identify two transport pathways: (i) System’s current, where heat conduction is mediated by transitions in the system, with the heat current scaling as j q ∝ λ2 to the lowest order in λ. (ii) Inter-bath current, with the thermal baths directly exchanging energy between them, facilitated by the bridging quantum system. To the lowest order in λ, this current scales as j q ∝ λ4. These mechanisms are uncovered and examined using numerical and analytical tools. We contend that the RC mapping brings, already at the level of the mapped Hamiltonian, much insight into transport characteristics.

Strong system-bath coupling effects in quantum absorption refrigerators

We study the performance of three-level quantum absorption refrigerators, paradigmatic autonomous quantum thermal machines, and reveal central impacts of strong couplings between the working system and the thermal baths. Using the reaction coordinate quantum master equation method, which treats system-bath interactions beyond weak coupling, we demonstrate that in a broad range of parameters the cooling window at strong coupling can be captured by a weak-coupling theory, albeit with parameters renormalized by the system-bath coupling energy. As a result, at strong system-bath couplings the window of cooling is significantly reshaped compared to predictions of weak-coupling treatments. We further show that strong coupling admits direct transport pathways between the thermal reservoirs. Such beyond-second-order transport mechanisms are typically detrimental to the performance of quantum thermal machines. Our study reveals that it is inadequate to claim for either a suppression or an enhancement of the cooling performance as one increases system-bath coupling-when analyzed against a single parameter and in a limited domain. Rather, a comprehensive approach should be adopted so as to uncover the reshaping of the operational window.