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Abstract: The Fick’s law of diffusion and Fourier’s law of thermal transport assumes the steady-state current flows according to the gradient of the drive. With multi-path geometries and microscopic models, however, local currents flowing against the drive in the steady state are shown to emerge. I will start with a textbook example of thermal transport through a classical harmonic system connected to two Langevin reservoirs and show the possibility of steady-state circulation of local currents due to the underlying geometry. The local counter-flow, however, does not violate the second law of thermodynamics because the total current still flows from hot to cold. By quantizing the harmonic system and analyzing the resulting quantum thermal transport, the geometry-based local circulation is shown to transcend the quantum-classical boundary. Next, I will show similar behavior arises in particle transport of both Bose and Fermi Hubbard models described by the Lindblad equation for open quantum systems, thus demonstrating the geometry-based local circulation transcends the spin-statistics. Some experimental implications will be discussed.

Hosted by Professor Kevin Wright

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https://dartmouth.zoom.us/j/91597901421?pwd=eWZBU1RoRWNoaFpXQXV2Q0R6UC9rQT09

Meeting ID: 915 9790 1421
Passcode: Email physics.department@darmouth.edu for passcode