虚拟量子位，虚拟温度和热力学基础
Virtual qubits, virtual temperatures, and the foundations of thermodynamics
摘要：
我们认为，热机可以从“虚拟温度”下的“虚拟量子位”的角度来理解：查看驱动热机的两个热浴的相关方式是作为一个复合系统。虚拟量子比特是这个复合体的两级子系统，它们的虚拟温度可以取任何值，正负。热机通过将外部系统与精心选择的虚拟量子位和温度范围进行热接触来作用于外部系统。我们通过研究最小的热机来证明这些主张。我们进一步表明，这种观点提供了一个强大的方式来查看热力学，通过分析一些现象。这包括接近卡诺效率（我们发现所有机器本质上都是通过等价于最小的热机来实现的），不可逆机器中的熵产生，以及从负温度和粒子数反转的角度看待工作的方法。此外，我们介绍了“真正的”热机器的想法，并导致考虑工作的“强度”的概念。
英文摘要：
We argue that thermal machines can be understood from the perspective of `virtual qubits' at `virtual temperatures': The relevant way to view the two heat baths which drive a thermal machine is as a composite system. Virtual qubits are two-level subsystems of this composite, and their virtual temperatures can take on any value, positive or negative. Thermal machines act upon an external system by placing it in thermal contact with a well-selected range of virtual qubits and temperatures. We demonstrate these claims by studying the smallest thermal machines. We show further that this perspective provides a powerful way to view thermodynamics, by analysing a number of phenomena. This includes approaching Carnot efficiency (where we find that all machines do so essentially by becoming equivalent to the smallest thermal machines), entropy production in irreversible machines, and a way to view work in terms of negative temperature and population inversion. Moreover we introduce the idea of "genuine" thermal machines and are led to considering the concept of "strength" of work.
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