Muschik and M. Kaufmann
Quantum-Thermodynamical Description of Discrete
Non-Equilibrium Systems
J. Non-Equilib. Thermodyn. 19, 1994, 76-94
Compound systems consisting of discrete systems being in different
contacts with each other are investigated by introducing a limited
set of relevant quantum-mechanical observables as a mesoscopic
description of discrete systems. The different kinds of partitions
between discrete systems are quantum-mechanically characterized. The
rate of entropy in closed and work-isolated systems is positive
definite, a result which is obtained by identifying parameters of the
generalized canonical density operator with the contact temperature of
non-equilibrium systems.