Non-Markovianity in structured nonequilibrium environment: impacts on Landauer's principle and quantum batteries

Abstract

Abstract We investigate non-Markovianity and its effects on thermodynamic principles and quantum battery performance within a structured nonequilibrium environment consisting of a three-level memory unit and two thermal reservoirs. We demonstrate that temperature imbalance, average temperature, and memory structure serve as effective control parameters for modulating non-Markovianity, exhibiting distinct behaviors for bosonic and fermionic reservoirs. An improved Landauer's bound applicable to non-Markovian processes is derived, overcoming the limitations of its conventional counterpart. By treating the central system as a quantum battery and the environment as a charger, we show that steady-state ergotropy can be achieved and tuned via thermodynamic parameters. Furthermore, non-Markovian dynamics significantly delay the discharge of the battery. Our study provides a pathway for constructing non-Markovian thermodynamic environments and harnessing non-Markovian effects to enhance the performance of quantum thermal devices.