  Isothermal processes of a finitely extended, driven quantum system in contact
with an infinite heat bath are studied from the point of view of quantum
statistical mechanics. Notions like heat flux, work and entropy are defined for
trajectories of states close to, but distinct from states of joint thermal
equilibrium. A theorem characterizing reversible isothermal processes as
quasi-static processes (''isothermal theorem'') is described. Corollaries
concerning the changes of entropy and free energy in reversible isothermal
processes and on the 0th law of thermodynamics are outlined.
