Quantum measurement arrow of time and fluctuation relations for measuring spin of ultracold atoms

The origin of macroscopic irreversibility from microscopically time-reversible dynamical laws—often called the arrow-of-time problem—is of fundamental interest in both science and philosophy. Experimentally probing such questions in quantum theory requires systems with near-perfect isolation from the environment and long coherence times. Ultracold atoms are uniquely suited to this task. We experimentally demonstrate a striking parallel between the statistical irreversibility of wavefunction collapse and the arrow of time problem in the weak measurement of the quantum spin of an atomic cloud. Our experiments include statistically rare events where the arrow of time is inferred backward; nevertheless we provide evidence for absolute irreversibility and a strictly positive average arrow of time for the measurement process, captured by a fluctuation theorem. We further demonstrate absolute irreversibility for measurements performed on a quantum many-body entangled wavefunction—a unique opportunity afforded by our platform—with implications for studying quantum many-body dynamics and quantum thermodynamics

Exploring Quantum Dynamics and Thermodynamics in Superconducting Qubits

Quantum technology has been rapidly growing due to its potential revolutionary applications. In particular, superconducting qubits provide a strong light-matter interaction as required for quantum computation and in principle can be scaled up to a high level of complexity. However, obtaining the full benet of quantum mechanics in superconducting circuits requires a deep understanding of quantum physics in such systems in all aspects. One of the most crucial aspects is the concept of measurement and the dynamics of the quantum systems under the measurement process. This thesis is intended to be a pedagogical introduction to the concept of quantum measurement from an experimental perspective. We study the dynamics of a single superconducting qubit under continuous monitoring. We demonstrate that weak measurement is a versatile tool to investigate fundamental questions in quantum dynamics and quantum thermodynamics for open quantum systems

Measurement, Dissipation, and Quantum Control with Superconducting Circuits

The interaction between a superconducting circuit and its environment can cause decoherence. However, interactions with an environment are necessary for quantum state preparation and measurement. Through the dynamics of open quantum systems, the environment is a resource to control and readout superconducting circuit states. I present an experimental result demonstrating qubit state stabilization from engineered dissipation with a microwave photonic crystal. In addition, I discuss the statistical arrow of time in the dynamics of continuous quantum measurement. These results demonstrate an interplay between open quantum system dynamics and statistics, which highlights the role of both dissipation and measurement for quantum control

Time in Quantum Measurement

Based on a model of quantum measurement we derive an estimate for the external measurement-time. Some interesting consequences will be analyzed