We employ the quantum-jump-trajectory approach to construct a systematic framework to study the thermodynamics at the trajectory level in a nonequilibrium open quantum system under discrete feedback control. Within this framework, we derive quantum versions of the generalized Jarzynski equalities, which are demonstrated in an isolated pseudospin system and a coherently driven two-level open quantum system. Due to quantum coherence and measurement backaction, a fundamental distinction from the classical generalized Jarzynski equalities emerges in the quantum versions, which is characterized by a large negative information gain reflecting genuinely quantum rare events. A possible experimental scheme to test our findings in superconducting qubits is discussed.
We employ the quantum-jump-trajectory approach to construct a systematic framework to study the thermodynamics at the trajectory level in a nonequilibrium open quantum system under discrete feedback control. Within this framework, we derive quantum versions of the generalized Jarzynski equalities, which are demonstrated in an isolated pseudospin system and a coherently driven two-level open quantum system. Due to quantum coherence and measurement backaction, a fundamental distinction from the classical generalized Jarzynski equalities emerges in the quantum versions, which is characterized by a large negative information gain reflecting genuinely quantum rare events. A possible experimental scheme to test our findings in superconducting qubits is discussed.
The thermodynamics of quantum coherence has attracted growing attention recently, where the thermodynamic advantage of quantum superposition is characterized in terms of quantum thermodynamics. We investigate the thermodynamic effects of quantum coherent driving in the context of the fluctuation theorem. We adopt a quantum-trajectory approach to investigate open quantum systems under feedback control. In these systems, the measurement backaction in the forward process plays a key role, and therefore the corresponding time-reversed quantum measurement and postselection must be considered in the backward process, in sharp contrast to the classical case. The state reduction associated with quantum measurement, in general, creates a zero-probability region in the space of quantum trajectories of the forward process, which causes singularly strong irreversibility with divergent entropy production (i.e., absolute irreversibility) and hence makes the ordinary fluctuation theorem break down. In the classical case, the error-free measurement ordinarily leads to absolute irreversibility, because the measurement restricts classical paths to the region compatible with the measurement outcome. In contrast, in open quantum systems, absolute irreversibility is suppressed even in the presence of the projective measurement due to those quantum rare events that go through the classically forbidden region with the aid of quantum coherent driving. This suppression of absolute irreversibility exemplifies the thermodynamic advantage of quantum coherent driving. Absolute irreversibility is shown to emerge in the absence of coherent driving after the measurement, especially in systems under time-delayed feedback control. We show that absolute irreversibility is mitigated by increasing the duration of quantum coherent driving or decreasing the delay time of feedback control.
This article sets up a formalism to describe stochastic thermodynamics for driven out-of-equilibrium open quantum systems. A stochastic Schrödinger equation allows to construct quantum trajectories describing the dynamics of the system state vector in presence of an eventually monitored environment. Thermodynamic quantities are defined at the single quantum trajectory level, independently of any energy measurement, at any time of the protocol. We thereby identify coherent contributions, without classical counterparts, leading to quantum fluctuations of thermodynamic quantities. This formalism eventually leads to central fluctuation theorems for entropy, extending in the quantum regime results obtained in classical stochastic thermodynamics. The thermal imprint of coherences on a simple implementation of Jarzynski equality is investigated, opening avenues for a thermodynamic approach to decoherence.
We derive integral quantum fluctuation theorems and quantum Jarzynski equalities for a feedback-controlled system and a memory which registers outcomes of the measurement. The obtained equalities involve the information content, which reflects the information exchange between the system and the memory, and take into account the back action of a general measurement contrary to the classical case. The generalized second law of thermodynamics under measurement and feedback control is reproduced from these equalities.
The laws of thermodynamics are a cornerstone for describing nanoscale and open quantum systems. However, formulating these laws for systems under continuous feedback control and under experimentally relevant conditions is challenging. In this work, we lay out a formalism for the laws of thermodynamics in an open quantum system under continuous measurement and feedback described by a Quantum Fokker Planck Master Equation. We derive expressions for work, heat, and measurement-induced energy changes, and we investigate entropy production and fluctuation theorems. We illustrate our results with a continuous version of a measurement-driven Szilard engine, as well as a work extraction scheme in a two-level system under bang-bang control. Our results provide insights into the energetics as well as the irreversibility of classical and quantum systems under continuous feedback control.
We extend the theory of stochastic thermodynamics in three directions: (i) instead of a continuously monitored system we consider measurements only at an arbitrary set of discrete times, (ii) we allow for imperfect measurements and incomplete information in the description, and (iii) we treat arbitrary manipulations (e.g., feedback control operations) which are allowed to depend on the entire measurement record. For this purpose we define for a driven system in contact with a single heat bath the four key thermodynamic quantities-internal energy, heat, work, and entropy-along a single "trajectory" for a causal model. The first law at the trajectory level and the second law on average is verified. We highlight the special case of Bayesian or "bare" measurements (incomplete information, but no average disturbance) which allows us to compare our theory with the literature and to derive a general inequality for the estimated free energy difference in Jarzynski-type experiments. An analysis of a recent Maxwell demon experiment using real-time feedback control is also given. As a mathematical tool, we prove a classical version of Stinespring's dilation theorem, which might be of independent interest.
We propose a method to evaluate general thermodynamic fluctuations in open quantum systems, based on performing a two-point measurement scheme on the system using dynamics-dependent thermodynamic observables. Our approach allows one to obtain exact equalities for fluctuations of path-dependent thermodynamic quantities such as work and heat, and to isolate correction factors to Jarzynski's equality, requiring only access to the system degrees of freedom. This framework is flexible and can be applied to the limiting case of closed systems, recovering previous, yet seemingly contradictory, results from the literature. Moreover, the formalism admits a straightforward extension to strongly coupled open quantum systems. We investigate the effect of specific dynamical classes on the fluctuation relations, and show that the pure decoherence case is particularly special, as it deterministically does not contain any heat contribution and thus constitutes a class of open system dynamics for which the Jarzynski equality for work fluctuations is identically true at any coupling strength. Finally, we look explicitly at the shape and size of the correction factors to Jarzynski's equality for a qubit undergoing phase covariant dynamics, both in the weakly-coupled regime and in the deep non-Markovian regime.