Two hallmarks of quantum non-demolition (QND) measurement are the ensemble-level conservation of the expectation value of the measured observable $A$ and the eventual, inevitable collapse of the system into some eigenstate of $A$. This requires that $A$ commutes with $H$, the system's Hamiltonian. In what we term "Auxiliary Observable QND" measurement, $A$ does not commute with $H$ and the above two characteristics clearly cannot be present as the system's dynamics prevent $\langle A \rangle$ from reaching a definite value. However, in this paper we find that under such a measurement QND behavior still arises, but is seen in the behavior of a secondary "target" observable we call $B$, with the condition that $B$ commutes with both $A$ and $H$. In such cases, the expectation value of $B$ is conserved and the system at least partially collapses with respect to eigenstates of $B$. We show as an example how this surprising result applies to a Heisenberg chain, where we demonstrate that local measurements on a single site can reveal information about the spectrum of an entire system, a finding which may be of practical use in experiments.
Two hallmarks of quantum non-demolition (QND) measurement are the ensemble-level conservation of the expectation value of the measured observable A and the eventual, inevitable collapse of the system into some eigenstate of A. This requires that A commutes with H, the system's Hamiltonian. In what we term "Auxiliary Observable QND" measurement, A does not commute with H and the above two characteristics clearly cannot be present as the system's dynamics prevent ⟨A⟩ from reaching a definite value. However, in this paper we find that under such a measurement QND behavior still arises, but is seen in the behavior of a secondary "target" observable we call B, with the condition that B commutes with both A and H. In such cases, the expectation value of B is conserved and the system at least partially collapses with respect to eigenstates of B. We show as an example how this surprising result applies to a Heisenberg chain, where we demonstrate that local measurements on a single site can reveal information about the spectrum of an entire system, a finding which may be of practical use in experiments.
Abstract In an ideal quantum measurement, the wave function of a quantum system collapses to an eigenstate of the measured observable, and the corresponding eigenvalue determines the measurement outcome. If the observable commutes with the system Hamiltonian, repeated measurements yield the same result and thus minimally disturb the system. Seminal quantum optics experiments have achieved such quantum non-demolition (QND) measurements of systems with few degrees of freedom. In contrast, here we describe how the QND measurement of a complex many-body observable, the Hamiltonian of an interacting many-body system, can be implemented in a trapped-ion analog quantum simulator. Through a single-shot measurement, the many-body system is prepared in a narrow band of (highly excited) energy eigenstates, and potentially even a single eigenstate. Our QND scheme, which can be carried over to other platforms of quantum simulation, provides a framework to investigate experimentally fundamental aspects of equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical physics including the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis and quantum fluctuation relations.
In an ideal quantum measurement, the wave function of a quantum system collapses to an eigenstate of the measured observable, and the corresponding eigenvalue determines the measurement outcome. If the observable commutes with the system Hamiltonian, repeated measurements yield the same result and thus minimally disturb the system. Seminal quantum optics experiments have achieved such quantum non-demolition (QND) measurements of systems with few degrees of freedom. In contrast, here we describe how the QND measurement of a complex many-body observable, the Hamiltonian of an interacting many-body system, can be implemented in a trapped-ion analog quantum simulator. Through a single-shot measurement, the many-body system is prepared in a narrow band of (highly excited) energy eigenstates, and potentially even a single eigenstate. Our QND scheme, which can be carried over to other platforms of quantum simulation, provides a framework to investigate experimentally fundamental aspects of equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical physics including the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis and quantum fluctuation relations.
In quantum mechanics, conservation laws are usually understood only statistically and only in the context of unitary evolution: during such evolution, if an observable commutes with the Hamiltonian, its expectation value and Born-rule probability distribution remain unchanged. Individual measurement outcomes, however, disrupt even this weak form of statistical conservation. Recently, though, it has been argued that a stronger, non-statistical form of conservation, valid at the level of individual measurement outcomes, can be recovered. The proposal relies on the claim that any superposition of eigenstates of a conserved quantity must ultimately be prepared relative to another physical system, which serves as the relevant reference frame and remains correlated with the system being prepared. On this enlarged description, the change observed in the measured system is claimed to be exactly compensated by an opposite change in the preparer, thereby restoring conservation at the level of individual measurement outcomes. We analyze this proposal and argue that it faces significant conceptual difficulties. We show that the proposed mechanism is not adequately justified and, moreover, does not establish conservation in individual measurement outcomes as claimed.
According to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, if we measure one variable describing a physical system, we inevitably introduce noise into some other variable describing the same system. In practice, the situation is worse than that: measuring one variable usually introduces random noise into the very quantity we are measuring. It is possible in principle to make measurements, known as quantum non-demolition (or QND) measurements, which do not have this latter effect. A QND measurement may approach the ideal quantum measurement commonly encountered in quantum mechanics textbooks. Philippe Grangier and his co-workers at the Université Paris-Sud, at Orsay in France, have recently attempted to measure the intensity of a beam of light in this way (Phys. Rev. Len. (1991) 66 1418). Their experiment has shown that it is indeed possible to make a measurement which at least partially preserves the quantum mechanical state of the detected beam.
Wavefunction collapse is commonly associated with unavoidable physical disturbance of the measured system. Here we show that in driven-dissipative quantum systems, continuous measurement can induce strong trajectory-level collapse while leaving the ensemble-averaged steady state strictly invariant. We identify measurement-invariant steady states whose unconditional density matrix remains unchanged under continuous monitoring, despite pronounced measurement-induced localization in conditioned quantum trajectories. This separation between trajectory-level collapse and ensemble invariance defines a regime of partial collapse, in which measurement-induced localization is continuously counteracted by dissipative dynamics. We derive a necessary and sufficient condition for steady-state invariance under continuous measurement and identify Liouvillian symmetry as a concrete dynamical mechanism enforcing it. Our results clarify the distinction between conditional collapse and physical disturbance in open quantum systems and provide a framework for non-invasive continuous monitoring in driven-dissipative settings.