Quantum jumps and entropy production

Abstract

The irreversible motion of an open quantum system can be represented through an ensemble of state vectors following a stochastic dynamics with piecewise deterministic paths. It is shown that this representation leads to a natural definition of the rate of quantum entropy production. The entropy production rate is expressed in terms of the von Neumann entropy and of the numbers of quantum jumps corresponding to the various decay channels of the open system. The proof of the positivity and of the convexity of the entropy production rate is given. Monte Carlo simulations of the stochastic dynamics of a driven qubit and of a $\Lambda$-configuration involving a dark state are performed in order to illustrate the general theory.