Thermodynamic quantum Fokker–Planck equations and their application to thermostatic Stirling engine

Abstract

We developed a computer code for the thermodynamic quantum Fokker–Planck equations (T-QFPE), derived from a thermodynamic system–bath model. This model consists of an anharmonic subsystem coupled to multiple Ohmic baths at different temperatures, which are connected to or disconnected from the subsystem as a function of time. The code numerically integrates the T-QFPE and their classical expression to simulate isothermal, isentropic, thermostatic, and entropic processes in both quantum and classical cases. The accuracy of the results was verified by comparing the analytical solutions of the Brownian oscillator. In addition, we illustrated a breakdown of the Markovian Lindblad-master equation in the pure quantum regime. As a demonstration, we simulated a thermostatic Stirling engine employed to develop non-equilibrium thermodynamics [S. Koyanagi and Y. Tanimura, J. Chem. Phys. 161, 114113 (2024)] under quasi-static conditions. The quasi-static thermodynamic potentials, described as intensive and extensive variables, were depicted as work diagrams. In the classical case, the work done by the external field is independent of the system–bath coupling strength. In contrast, in the quantum case, the work decreases as the coupling strength increases due to quantum entanglement between the subsystem and bath. The codes were developed for multicore processors using Open Multi-Processing (OpenMP) and for graphics processing units using the Compute Unified Device Architecture. These codes are provided in the supplementary material.