We proudly present the latest publication coauthored by Michal Horodecki, professor from University of Gdansk, who carries out his research in the frame of the Foundation?s TEAM programme project coordinated by professor Marek Żukowski.

Below you will find the abstract of the article. Download the full version here.

The relationship between thermodynamics and statistical physics is valid in the thermodynamic limit?when the number of particles becomes very large. Here we study thermodynamics in the opposite regime?at both the nanoscale and when quantum effects become important. Applying results from quantum information theory, we construct a theory of thermodynamics in these limits. We derive general criteria for thermodynamical state transitions, and, as special cases, find two free energies: one that quantifies the deterministically extractable work from a small system in contact with a heat bath, and the other that quantifies the reverse process. We find that there are fundamental limitations on work extraction from non-equilibrium states, owing to finite size effects and quantum coherences. This implies that thermodynamical transitions are generically irreversible at this scale. As one application of these methods, we analyse the efficiency of small heat engines and find that they are irreversible during the adiabatic stages of the cycle.