Abstract

In this talk, I discuss how quantum correlations can be converted into energy in out-of-equilibrium processes. This general mechanism is illustrated analytically for free fermion systems and numerically for strongly interacting systems. We consider a quench protocol for two initially independent systems described by thermal states. The von Neumann entropy of each system increases once the systems are coupled. At the moment of decoupling, there is an energy transfer to the systems set by the correlations accumulated during joint evolution. This energy transfer appears as work produced by the quench to decouple the systems and results into systems' temperature change. We discuss plausible setups to verify both qualitative and quantitative predictions in ultracold atom experiments.