Cavity QED links quantum and classical thermodynamics in new model

Marcelo Janovitch of the University of Basel and colleagues have demonstrated that how photon loss is accounted for fundamentally alters thermodynamic interpretations within cavity quantum electrodynamics. The researchers found that violations of thermodynamic uncertainty relations in a semi-classical model are recovered only when treating a portion of photon flux as a potential power source, rather than simply waste heat. This distinction is reflected in two valid thermodynamic frameworks: the standard approach and an input-output (IO) framework. The work illustrates these findings using a three-level system coupled to a driven cavity, revealing that “the standard framework leads to predictions which are incompatible with the semi-classical model, while the IO-framework leads to compatible ones.” Cavity QED Thermodynamics: Standard vs. Input-Output Frameworks The thermodynamic accounting method employed in analyzing…