Quantum simulation of thermodynamics in an integrated quantum photonic processor.

ABSTRACT: One of the core questions of quantum physics is how to reconcile the unitary evolution of quantum states, which is information-preserving and time-reversible, with evolution following the second law of thermodynamics, which, in general, is neither. The resolution to this paradox is to recognize that global unitary evolution of a multi-partite quantum state causes the state of local subsystems to evolve towards maximum-entropy states. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate this effect in linear quantum optics by simultaneously showing the convergence of local quantum states to a generalized Gibbs ensemble constituting a maximum-entropy state under precisely controlled conditions, while introducing an efficient certification method to demonstrate that the state retains global purity. Ou

SUBMITTER: Somhorst FHB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10314952 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature