Thermodynamics of trajectories of a quantum harmonic oscillator coupled to N baths

Abstract

We undertake a thorough analysis of the thermodynamics of the trajectories followed by a quantum harmonic oscillator coupled to N dissipative baths by using an approach to large-deviation theory inspired by phase-space quantum optics. As an illustrative example, we study the archetypal case of a harmonic oscillator coupled to two thermal baths, allowing for a comparison with the analogous classical result. In the low-temperature limit, we find a significant quantum suppression in the rate of work exchanged between the system and each bath. We further show how the presented method is capable of giving analytical results even for the case of a driven harmonic oscillator. Based on that result, we analyze the laser cooling of the motion of a trapped ion or optomechanical system, illustrating how the emission statistics can be controllably altered by the driving force.