title: Interference of identical particles and the quantum work distribution.
abstract: Quantum-mechanical particles in a confining potential interfere with each other while undergoing thermodynamic processes far from thermal equilibrium. By evaluating the corresponding transition probabilities between many-particle eigenstates we obtain the quantum work distribution function for identical bosons and fermions, which we compare with the case of distinguishable particles. We find that the quantum work distributions for bosons and fermions significantly differ at low temperatures, while, as expected, at high temperatures the work distributions converge to the classical expression. These findings are illustrated with two analytically solvable examples, namely the time-dependent infinite square well and the parametric harmonic oscillator.
authors.affiliation: School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: Zongping
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 USA and Theoretical Division and Center for Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Deffner
authors.affiliation: School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China and Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: H T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Quan