Semi-classical work and quantum work identities in Weyl representation

Abstract

We derive a semi-classical nonequilibrium work identity by applying the Wigner-Weyl quantization scheme to the Jarzynski identity for a classical Hamiltonian. This allows us, to the leading order in $\hbar$, to overcome the problem of defining the concept of work in quantum mechanics. We propose a geometric interpretation of this semi-classical relation in terms of trajectories in a complex phase space and illustrate it with the exactly solvable case of the quantum harmonic oscillator.