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Updated: Jan 9, 2026

The Generation of Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss Optical Beams for High-precision Interferometry

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Published on: August 12, 2013

Fundamental Precision Limits in Finite-Dimensional Quantum Thermal Machines.

Yoshihiko Hasegawa¹

¹The University of Tokyo, Department of Information and Communication Engineering, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.

Physical Review Letters

|November 30, 2025

Summary

Fundamental precision limits for quantum thermal machines are derived, independent of dynamics. These limits, set by system configuration, reveal trade-offs in energy storage and charging precision, with quantum coherence offering improvements.

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Area of Science:

Quantum thermodynamics
Statistical mechanics
Quantum information science

Background:

The thermodynamic uncertainty relation links precision to entropy production.
Infinite entropy production is physically impossible, suggesting inherent precision limits.
Open quantum thermal machines face precision limitations influenced by system dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

Derive fundamental, dynamics-independent precision limits for open quantum thermal machines.
Investigate how system configuration and quantum coherence affect these limits.
Analyze the trade-off between energy storage and charging precision in quantum batteries.

Main Methods:

Derivation of dynamics-independent bounds on relative variance and observable expectations.
Analysis of finite-dimensional quantum systems and environments.
Application to a quantum battery model to study energy storage and charging.

Main Results:

Fundamental precision limits are established, determined by system dimensions, energy bandwidth, and initial eigenvalues.
A trade-off exists between energy storage capacity and charging precision in quantum batteries.
Quantum coherence was shown to enhance these fundamental precision limits.

Conclusions:

Physical constraints, not just dynamics, dictate precision limits in quantum thermal machines.
System configuration plays a crucial role in setting achievable precision.
Quantum coherence offers a pathway to overcome inherent precision limitations.