Quantum Coherence, Time-Translation Symmetry, and Thermodynamics
Quantum Coherence, Time-Translation Symmetry, and Thermodynamics
The first law of thermodynamics imposes not just a constraint on the energy content of systems in extreme quantum regimes but also symmetry constraints related to the thermodynamic processing of quantum coherence. We show that this thermodynamic symmetry decomposes any quantum state into mode operators that quantify the coherence present …