Abstract We theoretically analyze heat exchange between two quantum systems in interaction with external thermostats. We show that in the strong coupling limit the widely used concept of mode temperatures loses its thermodynamic foundation and therefore cannot be employed to make a valid statement on cooling and heating in such systems; instead, the incorrectly applied concept may result in a severe misinterpretation of the underlying physics. We illustrate these general conclusions by discussing recent experimental results reported on the nanoscale heat transfer through quantum fluctuations between two nanomechanical membranes separated by a vacuum gap.

中文翻译：

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强耦合系统中模式温度概念的基本限制

摘要 我们从理论上分析了与外部恒温器相互作用的两个量子系统之间的热交换。我们表明，在强耦合极限下，广泛使用的模式温度概念失去了其热力学基础，因此不能用于对此类系统中的冷却和加热做出有效陈述；相反，错误应用的概念可能会导致对基础物理学的严重误解。我们通过讨论最近通过真空间隙隔开的两个纳米机械膜之间的量子涨落进行纳米级传热的实验结果来说明这些一般结论。