Quantum correlation functions are a natural way to encode multitime information, as they are ubiquitous in analysis from fluctuation theorems to information scrambling. Correlation functions can be identified with quasiprobabilities associated to quantum processes. In this work we show how these can be measured via error-cancellation techniques, using projective measurements only and no ancillae. The scheme is implemented in a nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond undergoing a unitary quantum work protocol. We reconstruct quantum-mechanical time correlations encoded in the Margenau-Hills quasiprobabilities by observing work extraction peaks five times those of sequential projective energy measurement schemes and in violation of newly derived stochastic bounds. We interpret the phenomenon via anomalous energy exchanges due to the underlying negativity of the quasiprobability distribution. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
Quantum correlation functions are a natural way to encode multitime information, as they are ubiquitous in analysis from fluctuation theorems to information scrambling. Correlation functions can be identified with quasiprobabilities associated to quantum processes. In this work we show how these can be measured via error-cancellation techniques, using projective measurements only and no ancillae. The scheme is implemented in a nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond undergoing a unitary quantum work protocol. We reconstruct quantum-mechanical time correlations encoded in the Margenau-Hills quasiprobabilities by observing work extraction peaks five times those of sequential projective energy measurement schemes and in violation of newly derived stochastic bounds. We interpret the phenomenon via anomalous energy exchanges due to the underlying negativity of the quasiprobability distribution. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
Abstract The Kirkwood-Dirac quasiprobability distribution, intimately connected with the quantum correlation function of two observables measured at distinct times, is becoming increasingly relevant for fundamental physics and quantum technologies. This quasiprobability distribution can take non-positive values, and its experimental reconstruction becomes challenging when expectation values of incompatible observables are involved. Here, we use an interferometric scheme aided by an auxiliary system to reconstruct the Kirkwood-Dirac quasiprobability distribution. We experimentally demonstrate this scheme in an electron-nuclear spin system associated with a nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond. By measuring the characteristic function, we reconstruct the quasiprobability distribution of work and analyze the behavior of its first and second moments. Our results clarify the physical meaning of the work quasiprobability distribution in the context of quantum thermodynamics. Finally, we study the uncertainty of measuring the Hamiltonian of the system at two times, via the Robertson-Schrödinger uncertainty relation, for different initial states.
In this tutorial, we present the definition, interpretation, and properties of some of the main quasiprobabilities that can describe the statistics of measurement outcomes evaluated at two or more times. Such statistics incorporate the incompatibility of the measurement observables and the state of the measured quantum system. We particularly focus on Kirkwood-Dirac quasiprobabilities and related distributions. We also discuss techniques to experimentally access a quasiprobability distribution, ranging from the weak two-point measurement scheme, to a Ramsey-like interferometric scheme and procedures assisted by an external detector. Once defined the fundamental concepts following the standpoint of joint measurability in quantum mechanics, we illustrate the use of quasiprobabilities in quantum thermodynamics to describe the quantum statistics of work and heat, and to explain anomalies in the energy exchanges entailed by a given thermodynamic transformation. On the one hand, in work protocols, we show how absorbed energy can be converted to extractable work and vice versa due to Hamiltonian incompatibility at distinct times. On the other hand, in exchange processes between two quantum systems initially at different temperatures, we explain how quantum correlations in their initial state may induce cold-to-hot energy exchanges, which are unnatural between any pair of equilibrium nondriven systems. We conclude the tutorial by giving simple examples where quasiprobabilities are applied to many-body systems: scrambling of quantum information, sensitivity to local perturbations, and quantum work statistics in the quenched dynamics of models that can be mapped onto systems of free fermions, for instance, the Ising model with a transverse field. Throughout the tutorial, we meticulously present derivations of essential concepts alongside straightforward examples, aiming to enhance comprehension and facilitate learning. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
Abstract We consider Margenau-Hill quasiprobability that measures a statistical weight assigned to an observation of an energy eigenvalue pair and its utilization in assessing work done by isolated quantum ensembles that generally contain coherence. We point out some physically reasonable and intuitive features of the statistical properties of work determined by Margenau-Hill quasiprobability. To be specific, we show that in sharp contrast to other proposals, the moment-generating function given by Margenau-Hill quasiprobability fulfills the composition and shift properties, and thus guarantees the additivity of works performed by joined work protocols. Work fluctuations accessed by Margenau-Hill distribution also give expected values for initially pure energy ensembles, providing a rationale as to why it serves as a unique measure in characterizing quantum work and its fluctuations.
Measurement-induced state disturbance is a major challenge in obtaining quantum statistics at multiple time points. We propose a method to extract dynamic information from a quantum system at intermediate time points, namely snapshotting quantum dynamics. To this end, we apply classical post-processing after performing the ancilla-assisted measurements to cancel out the impact of the measurements at each time point. Based on this, we reconstruct a multi-time quasi-probability distribution (QPD) that correctly recovers the probability distributions at the respective time points. Our approach can also be applied to simultaneously extract exponentially many correlation functions with various time-orderings. We provide a proof-of-principle experimental demonstration of the proposed protocol using a dual-species trapped-ion system by employing 171Yb+ and 138Ba+ ions as the system and the ancilla, respectively. Multi-time measurements are performed by repeated initialization and detection of the ancilla state without directly measuring the system state. The two- and three-time QPDs and correlation functions are reconstructed reliably from the experiment, negativity and complex values in the QPDs clearly indicate a contribution of the quantum coherence throughout dynamics. Sequential incompatible measurements on a quantum state would need a full multi-time generalisation of quasiprobability in order to be adequately described. Here, the authors propose such a framework, and test it on a trapped-ion system measuring up to three-time correlation functions.
General quasiprobabilities are introduced to visualize time-dependent quantum correlations of light in phase space. They are based on the generalization of the Glauber-Sudarshan P function to a time-dependent P functional [W. Vogel, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 013605 (2008)], which fully describes temporal correlations of radiation fields on the basis of continuous phase-space distributions. This approach is nontrivial, as the P functional itself is highly singular for many quantum states and nonlinear processes. In general, it yields neither a well-behaved nor an experimentally accessible description of quantum stochastic processes. Our regularized version of this multitime-dependent quasiprobability is a smooth function and applies to stronger divergences compared to the single-time and multimode scenario. The technique is used to characterize an optical parametric process with frequency mismatch and a strongly nonlinear evolution of the quantized center-of-mass motion of a trapped ion. A measurement scheme, together with a sampling approach, is provided which yields direct experimental access to the regularized P functional from measured data.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT : Dynamic correlations hψ| O1(t1)O2(t2)|ψi of quantum observables are useful quantities for the study of quantum dynamics. Attempts at measuring these correlations are however complicated, due to the measurement backaction (wave function collapse) incurred during measurements at the early time t1. We propose a noninvasive measurement protocol, based on a weak ancilla target coupling, which reduces this backaction at t1. We show that both real and imaginary parts of the desired correlation can be extracted through appropriate choices of the initial ancilla state and of the ancilla target coupling Hamiltonian. The protocol is applicable to arbitrary (pseudo)spin systems with arbitrary (non)equilibrium initial states. Errors arising in experimental implementations are analysed, and we show that deviations from the desired correlation can be minimised through an optimal choice of the ancilla target coupling time. Implementation in linear ion trap experiments is discussed. We derive the positive-operator-valued measure which describes the noninvasive measurement at t1. For dynamic correlations of single-site spin-1/2 observables, this operator formalism shows that measurement backaction is of no concern. Real parts can be obtained with projective measurements of the target at t1 and t2. Imaginary parts are obtained by performing a local rotation of the target at t1, followed by a projective measurement at t2. These ancilla-free protocols are theoretically simpler than the noninvasive measurement protocol, but remain experimentally challenging. Rotations and projections performed at t1 may be subject to noise, which propagates into the measured correlation. We use Lieb-Robinson theory to bound the size of the resulting error terms. An analysis of the spatio-temporal behaviour of these errors provides guidance for experimental implementation of the ancilla-free measurement protocols.