Thermal operations (TO) are a generic description for allowed state transitions under thermodynamic restrictions. However, the quest for simpler methods to encompass all these processes remains unfulfilled. We resolve this challenge through the catalytic use of thermal baths, which are assumed to be easily accessible. We select two sets of simplified operations: elementary TO (ETO) and Markovian TO (MTO). They are known for their experimental feasibility, but fail to capture the full extent of TO due to their innate Markovianity. We nevertheless demonstrate that this limitation can be overcome when the operations are enhanced by ambient-temperature Gibbs state catalysts. In essence, our result indicates that free states within TO can act as catalysts that provide the necessary non-Markovianity for simpler operations. Furthermore, we prove that when any catalyst can be employed, different thermal processes (TO, ETO, and MTO) converge. Notably, our results extend to scenarios involving initial states with coherence in the energy eigenbasis, a notoriously difficult process to characterise.

中文翻译：

---

热过程的层次结构在催化下崩溃


热操作 （TO） 是热力学限制下允许的状态转换的通用描述。然而，对更简单的方法来包含所有这些过程的追求仍未实现。我们通过催化使用温泉浴来解决这一挑战，人们认为温泉浴很容易接近。我们选择两组简化运算：初等 TO （ETO） 和马尔可夫 TO （MTO）。他们以其实验可行性而闻名，但由于他们与生俱来的马尔可夫性，他们未能捕捉到 TO 的全部范围。尽管如此，我们证明，当环境温度吉布斯态催化剂增强操作时，可以克服这一限制。从本质上讲，我们的结果表明 TO 中的自由态可以充当催化剂，为更简单的操作提供必要的非马尔可夫性。此外，我们证明，当可以使用任何催化剂时，不同的热过程（TO、ETO 和 MTO）会融合。值得注意的是，我们的结果扩展到涉及能量本征基相干性的初始状态的情景，这是一个众所周知的难以表征的过程。