Violation of the zeroth law of thermodynamics for a non-ergodic interaction (Q658505)

A model quantum system is described, enabling both analytic and computer-assisted analysis. It is often used for the purpose of showing how systems equilibrate. To the contrary, a detailed example brings a detuned 2-level system into contact with a monochromatic reservoir, not causing it to relax to the reservoir temperature. An example is given in which two systems at the same temperature, when placed in contact, evolve to different temperatures. The key to the breakdown of the zeroth law is the fact that the pertinent model is not ergodic. It is useful to mention that in the quantum context, ergodicity is taken to mean the absence of non-energy constants. The following reservation of the authors is worth mentioning: the discussion refers to a model, and the actual physical systems for which this model may happen to be an excellent approximation to would presumably satisfy the zeroth law on time scales for which the modeling broke down.