Quantum stochastic thermodynamics: A semiclassical theory in phase space

Abstract: A formalism for quantum many-body systems is proposed through a semiclassical treatment in phase space, allowing us to establish a stochastic thermodynamics incorporating quantum statistics. Specifically, we utilize a stochastic Fokker-Planck equation as the dynamics at the mesoscopic level. Here, the noise term characterizing the fluctuation of the flux density accounts for the finite-$N$ effects of random collisions between the system and the reservoir. Accordingly, the stationary solution is a quasi-equilibrium state in a canonical system. We define stochastic thermodynamic quantities based on the trajectories of the phase-space distribution. The conservation law of energy, $H$ theorem and fluctuation theorems are therefore obtained. Our work sets an alternative formalism of quantum stochastic thermodynamics that is independent of the two-point measurement scheme. The numerous projective measurements of quantum systems are replaced by the sampling of the phase-space distribution, offering hope for experimental verifications in the future.