Heat as a Witness of Quantum Properties

Area of Science:

• Quantum Information Science
• Thermodynamics
• Quantum Measurement

Background:

• Detecting quantum resources (entanglement, coherence) typically requires complex, system-specific measurements.
• Understanding the interplay between quantum systems and thermal environments is crucial for quantum technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a new, universally applicable method for witnessing quantum resources based on heat generation.
• To investigate the optimal heat exchange between a quantum system and a thermal environment, aided by quantum memory.

Main Methods:

• Derivation of fundamental energy constraints for quantum systems interacting with thermal environments and quantum memory.
• Utilizing a Maxwell's demon-inspired approach to analyze heat exchange.
• Developing a heat-based witness relying on fixed energy measurements in a thermal ancilla.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated that quantum states exhibit nonclassical signatures through heat exchange.
• Established a heat-based witness for quantum properties, independent of specific system measurements.
• Successfully detected entanglement in isotropic states and coherence in two-spin systems.

Conclusions:

• Heat generation provides a viable and simplified pathway for witnessing quantum entanglement and coherence.
• The proposed method offers a robust alternative to conventional quantum resource detection techniques.
• This work bridges quantum thermodynamics and quantum information, with implications for quantum sensing and computation.