Minimizing Dissipation via Interacting Environments: Quadratic Convergence to Landauer Bound
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: We explore the fundamental limits on thermodynamic irreversibility when cooling a quantum system in the presence of a finite-size reservoir. First, we prove that, for any noninteracting $n$-particle reservoir, the entropy production $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}$ decays at most linearly with $n$. Instead, we derive a cooling protocol in which $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}\ensuremath{\propto}1/{n}^{2}$, which is, in fact, the best possible scaling. This becomes possible due to the presence of interactions in the finite-size reservoir, which must be prepared at the verge of a phase transition. We further show numerically that an intermediate scaling of $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}\ensuremath{\propto}1/{n}^{\ensuremath{\delta}}$ with $\ensuremath{\delta}\ensuremath{\in}(1,2)$ can be achieved using a star-network configuration for the reservoir. Our results open the possibility of cooling with a higher energetic efficiency via interacting reservoirs.
Source: Physical Review Letters
DOI: 10.1103/5w1r-1nzs
Language: English
Subfield: Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4415401485