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Webinar: Stephan De Bievre - Approach to equilibrium: a case study in a quantum optics model
Location: Zoom
Date & time: Wednesday, 29 January 2025 at 10:45AM - 12:00PM
Stephan De Bievre– Université de Lille
Wednesday, January 29th , 10:45AM EST
Approach to equilibrium: a case study in a quantum optics model
Approach to equilibrium is the phenomenon whereby large isolated systems with many degrees of freedom evolve, from almost any initial condition, asymptotically in time, towards thermodynamic equilibrium; it lies at the heart of thermodynamics. Rigorously proving the occurrence of this phenomenon in classical or quantum (model) systems remains a difficult task. We will in this talk report on progress on a simpler problem, which consists in showing circumstances in both classical and quantum systems under which a small system is driven to thermal equilibrium as the result of its coupling to a large reservoir, which is itself out of equilibrium. This phenomenon of the emergence of equilibrium in the small system is distinct from the much better understood phenomenon of return to equilibrium, in which the reservoir is in equilibrium initially.
The talk is based on joint work with M. Merkli, C. Mejia-Monasterio and P. Parris.
