Can quantum correlations lead to violation of the second law of thermodynamics?

Abstract

Quantum entanglement can cause the efficiency of a heat engine to be greater than the efficiency of the Carnot cycle. However, this does not mean a violation of the second law of ther-modynamics, since there is no local equilibrium for pure quantum states, and, in the absence of local equilibrium, thermodynamics cannot be formulated correctly. Von Neumann entropy is not a thermodynamic quantity, although it can characterize the ordering of a system. In the case of the entanglement of the particles of the system with the environment, the concept of an isolated system should be refined. In any case, quantum correlations cannot lead to a violation of the second law of thermodynamics in any of its formulations. This article is devoted to a technical discussion of the expected results on the role of quantum entanglement in thermodynamics. © 2021 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.