Work Done on a Coherently Driven Quantum System

Abstract

We calculate the work done by a Landau-Zener-like dynamical field on two- and three-level quantum system by constructing a quantum power operator. We elaborate a general theory applicable to a wide range of closed-quantum system. We consider the dynamics of the system in the time domain ]-tLZ,tLZ[ (where is the LZ transition time in the sudden limit) where the external pulse changes its sign and its action becomes relevant. The statistical work is evaluated in a period [0,T] where T ≤tLZ. Our results are observed to be in good qualitative agreement with known results.