Stability of Quantum Systems at Three Scales: Passivity, Quantum Weak Energy Inequalities and the Microlocal Spectrum Condition

Quantum weak energy inequalities have recently been extensively discussed as a condition on the dynamical stability of quantum field states, particularly on curved spacetimes. We formulate the notion of a quantum weak energy inequality for general dynamical systems on static background spacetimes and establish a connection between quantum weak energy inequalities and thermodynamics. Namely, for such a dynamical system, we show that the existence of a class of states satisfying a quantum weak inequality implies that passive states (e.g., mixtures of groundand thermal equilibrium states) exist for the time-evolution of the system and, therefore, that the second law of thermodynamics holds. Moreover, we verify that the free scalar quantum field on a static spacetime satisfies, in Hilbert-space representations induced by quasifree Hadamard states, all the assumptions made in the general setting, thus providing an example system. Previous results for linear quantum fields show that, on one hand, quantum weak energy inequalities follow from the Hadamard condition (or microlocal spectrum condition) imposed on the states, and on the other hand, that the existence of passive states implies that there is a class of states fulfilling the microlocal spectrum condition. Thus, the results of this paper indicate that these three conditions of dynamical stability are essentially equivalent. This observation is significant because the three conditions become effective at different length scales: The microlocal spectrum condition constrains the short-distance behaviour of quantum states (microscopic stability), quantum weak energy inequalities impose conditions at finite distance (mesoscopic stability), and the existence of passive states is a statement on the global thermodynamic stability of the system (macroscopic stability).