F. Mintert

Recent studies using the quantum information theoretic approach to thermodynamics show that the presence of coherence in quantum systems generates corrections to classical fluctuation theorems. To explicate the physical origins and implications of such corrections, we here convert an abstract framework of an autonomous quantum Crooks relation into quantum Crooks equalities for well-known coherent, squeezed and cat states. We further provide a proposal for a concrete experimental scenario to test these equalities. Our scheme consists of the autonomous evolution of a trapped ion and uses a position dependent AC Stark shift.

Constructing a large scale ion trap quantum processor will require entangling gate operations that are robust in the presence of noise and experimental imperfection. We experimentally demonstrate how a new type of Mølmer-Sørensen gate protects against infidelity caused by heating of the motional mode used during the gate. Furthermore, we show how the same technique simultaneously provides significant protection against slow fluctuations and mis-sets in the secular frequency. Since this parameter sensitivity is worsened in cases where the ions are not ground state cooled, our method provides a path towards relaxing ion cooling requirements in practical realisations of quantum computing and simulation.