Quantum energetics of a non-commuting measurement

Abstract:When a measurement observable does not commute with a quantum system's Hamiltonian, the energy of the measured system is typically not conserved during the measurement. Instead, energy can be transferred between the measured system and the meter. In this work, we experimentally investigate the energetics of non-commuting measurements in a circuit quantum electrodynamics system containing a transmon qubit embedded in a 3D microwave cavity. We show through spectral analysis of the cavity photons that a frequency shift is imparted on the probe, in balance with the associated energy changes of the qubit. Our experiment provides new insights into foundations of quantum measurement, as well as a better understanding of the key mechanisms at play in quantum energetics.

Quantum Physics (quant-ph); Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech); Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph)

arXiv:2311.13634 [quant-ph]

(or arXiv:2311.13634v3 [quant-ph] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2311.13634 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite

Phys. Rev. Research 6, 033045 (2024)

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.6.033045 Focus to learn more DOI(s) linking to related resources

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