Canonical initial preparation for a finite protocol

For a protocol of Finite driven protocol and path work, fix a bath temperature $T_b>0$ kelvin and set $\beta =(k_{\mathrm{B}}{T}_b{)}^{-1}$ in joules${}^{-1}$, using the exact constant and SI conventions of SI quantities and unit conventions. The finite-state clause of the adopted Canonical sampling assumption for finite and normalized statistical models then gives the stage-zero law ${\pi }_0(i)=e^{-\beta E_0(i)}\mathrm{/}{Z}_0$; adopt that the initial microstate is drawn from this law, so ${\mu }_0={\pi }_0$. Here $\mathrm{\Omega }$ is finite and nonempty and $E_0(i)$ is finite, so $0<Z_0<\mathrm{\infty }$ as required by that clause. This is a model premise about the preparation distribution. It does not follow from the finite partition-sum definition, does not assert that an arbitrary system equilibrates in finite time, and does not report a measured preparation. The countable-state and measure-integral branches of Canonical sampling assumption for finite and normalized statistical models are not used.