Reversal of heat flow and extraction of work by means of initial correlations within open quantum systems

We explore the impact of initial correlations within an open quantum system on the thermodynamic process. The system of interest consists of two interacting subsystems, each embedded in a thermal reservoir. Our findings reveal that when there are initial correlations between the subsystems, heat can be transferred from the colder body to the hotter one or accelerated to flow from the hotter body to the colder one. This is made possible by selecting the appropriate relative phase of the system's correlated state. Moreover, the correlated system can act as a refrigerator or an accelerator while simultaneously performing work on an external agent. We also extend our study to a multipartite system, where we demonstrate that the accumulation of correlations in the system can enhance the reversed heat, the work, and the reversal duration.