Experimental Demonstration of a Measurement-Feedback Quantum Information Engine

Abstract:Harnessing quantum inner friction in a finite-time stroke of quantum engine to extract work remains an open experimental challenge. Here we address this issue by experimentally establishing and demonstrating an innovative measurement-feedback quantum information engine model in the trapped 40Ca+ ion system, where the projective measurement replaces the hot reservoir as a nonthermal energy source and feedback-control conditionally steers the system through either unitary compression-expansion strokes or thermalization. We experimentally show that the engine, starting from arbitrary initial states, converges to a stable operating regime with a fully resolved energetic balance, and by controlling the measurement angle and stroke duration, the measurement-induced coherence and quantum inner friction can act as tunable resources to enhance the efficiency of engine beyond the Otto limit. The experimental results further demonstrate that the quantum inner friction can be utilized to break the traditional efficiency-power trade-off relation to synchronously achieve the high efficiency and large power. Our experiment establishes a route toward information-to-work quantum engines that convert finite-time irreversibility into performance-enhancing resources.

arXiv:2607.28702 [quant-ph]

(or arXiv:2607.28702v1 [quant-ph] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2607.28702 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)

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