Abstract: Quantum systems with a flexible architecture of connections and interactions mimic natural systems and provide an interesting arena to study thermodynamic evolution. In this talk I will introduce the minimum size of a machine of thermally initialized qubits that can generate an increase in extractable work for a subsystem and then embed the machine dynamics into a larger landscape of qubits. Considering the ensemble of single-qubit evolutions, I will show how the statistics of the change in extractable work, defined locally on qubit landscapes with strict energy conservation, depend on the connectivity graph, the initial temperature distribution, and the size of the unitaries used to evolve systems on the landscape. The relevance of quantum correlations for the thermodynamics can be diagnosed from properties of the dynamical maps describing intermediate steps in the evolution of individual qubits.
*You will need to bring your cell phone, so you can sign in. For Zoom, please submit a chat saying hello with your first and last name, so you can receive lunch. Lunch will be served after the seminar only to the individuals that have attended.*
At 4pm, there will be a tea in ATL 2117 for our speaker and students - this is a chance for students to ask questions directly to our speaker. Refreshments will be served.