We present a complete framework of stochastic thermodynamics for a single-mode linear optical cavity driven on resonance. We first show that the steady-state intracavity field follows the equilibrium Boltzmann distribution. The effective temperature is given by the noise variance, and the equilibration rate is the dissipation rate. Next, we derive expressions for internal energy, work, heat, and free energy of light in a cavity and formulate the first and second laws of thermodynamics for this system. We then analyze fluctuations in work and heat and show that they obey universal statistical relations known as fluctuation theorems. Finite time corrections to the fluctuation theorems are also discussed. Additionally, we show that work fluctuations obey Crooks’ fluctuation theorem which is a paradigm for understanding emergent phenomena and estimating free energy differences. The significance of our results is twofold. On one hand, our work positions optical cavities as a unique platform for fundamental studies of stochastic thermodynamics. On the other hand, our work paves the way for improving the energy efficiency and information processing capabilities of laser-driven optical resonators using a thermodynamics based prescription.

中文翻译：

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共振驱动的线性光腔的随机热力学


我们提出了一个完整的随机热力学框架，用于共振驱动的单模线性光腔。我们首先证明稳态腔内场服从平衡玻尔兹曼分布。有效温度由噪声方差给出，平衡率是耗散率。接下来，我们推导出腔中光的内能、功、热和自由能的表达式，并为该系统制定热力学第一定律和第二定律。然后，我们分析了功和热量的波动，并表明它们服从称为波动定理的普遍统计关系。还讨论了对涨落定理的有限时间修正。此外，我们表明功波动服从克鲁克斯波动定理，该定理是理解涌现现象和估计自由能差异的范式。我们结果的意义是双重的。一方面，我们的工作将光腔定位为随机热力学基础研究的独特平台。另一方面，我们的工作为使用基于热力学的处方提高激光驱动光学谐振器的能源效率和信息处理能力铺平了道路。