Thermalization of finite complexity and its application to heat-bath algorithmic cooling
Phys. Rev. A 112, 042209 – Published 14 October, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/r3jn-1z54
Abstract
We introduce a class of thermal operations based on the collision model, where the system sequentially interacts with uncorrelated bath molecules via energy-preserving unitaries. To ensure finite complexity, each molecule is constrained to be no larger than the system. We identify a necessary condition for cooling below the bath temperature via a single collision: The system must initially lack a well-defined effective temperature, even a negative one. By constructing an iterative protocol, we demonstrate that sub-bath cooling is achievable without a machine under these restricted thermal operations. Moreover, introducing a qubit machine further enhances both the cooling limit and energy efficiency. These findings contribute to the broader study of cooling with finite resources.
