Experimental demonstration of generalized quantum fluctuation theorems in the presence of coherence
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Fluctuation theorems have elevated the second law of thermodynamics to a statistical realm by establishing a connection between time-forward and time-reversal probabilities, providing invaluable insight into nonequilibrium dynamics. While well established in classical systems, their quantum generalization, incorporating coherence and the diversity of quantum noise, remains open. We report the experimental validation of a quantum fluctuation theorem (QFT) in a photonic system, applicable to general quantum processes with nonclassical characteristics, including quasi-probabilistic descriptions of entropy production and multiple time-reversal processes. Our experiment confirms that the ratio between the quasi-probabilities of the time-forward and any multiple time-reversal processes obeys a generalized Crooks QFT. Moreover, coherence induced by a quantum process leads to the imaginary components of quantum entropy production, governing the phase factor in the QFT. These findings underscore the fundamental symmetry between a general quantum process and its time reversal, providing an elementary toolkit to explore noisy quantum information processing.
Date Issued
2025-05-01
Date Acceptance
2025-04-24
Citation
Science Advances, 2025, 11 (22)
ISSN
2375-2548
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Journal / Book Title
Science Advances
Volume
11
Issue
22
Copyright Statement
© 2025 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY).
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
eadq6014
Date Publish Online
2025-05-30