Quantum Mpemba Effect: Controlled Cooling ⚡ экспресс
The Mpemba effect in open quantum systems—where a state initially further from equilibrium reaches it faster—is typically observed only for a narrow class of initial conditions. A universal method for controlling relaxation is proposed, based on a short-term quench of dissipation (bond-dissipation quench). Suppression or enhancement of slow relaxation modes is achieved independently of the nature of the system and its initial state. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated for models with dephasing and boundary dissipation, with experimental realizations using ultracold atoms discussed. The results establish controlled dissipation as a universal tool for accelerated relaxation and the creation of efficient non-equilibrium protocols.
Everything tends toward equilibrium: tea cools, a pendulum swings to rest. The measure of this movement is entropy—growing disorder. But sometimes hot water freezes before warm. The Mpemba effect isn't just a curiosity—it shows up in the quantum world too. Scientists have devised a way to control this paradox.
Their method resembles playing with linked swings: to calm a wildly oscillating chain, you briefly 'loosen the springs' on the most frenzied ones—and the overall chaos subsides. In a quantum system, the 'swings' are particles, and 'loosening the springs' means temporarily increasing energy leakage in specific couplings.
This trick doesn't depend on initial conditions and works for any quantum objects—from cold helium atoms to computational qubits.
Fine-tuning the damping promises to speed up quantum computers, letting them reach a stable state more quickly. Ludwig Boltzmann taught that entropy grows relentlessly, but in open systems we can intervene in this process.
🎯 The Mpemba effect, discovered by a schoolboy in the 20th century, was described by Aristotle: in the 4th century BC, he noted that the people of Pontus heated water before freezing to make ice form faster.