01-481 Vojkan Jaksic and Claude-Alain Pillet

Mathematical theory of non-equilibrium quantum statistical mechanics (323K, postscript) Dec 20, 01

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Abstract. We review and further develop a mathematical framework for non-equilibrium quantum statistical mechanics recently proposed in [JP4, JP5, JP6, Ru3, Ru4, Ru5, Ru6]. In the algebraic formalism of quantum statistical mechanics we introduce notions of non-equilibrium steady states, entropy production and heat fluxes, and study their properties. Our basic paradigm is a model of a small (finite) quantum system coupled to several independent thermal reservoirs. We exhibit examples of such systems which have strictly positive entropy production.

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