A new approach to probe the principle of Landauer in the quantum regime with several bodies

Experimental protocol diagram. Credit: Nature physics (2025). Two: 10.1038 / S41567-025-02930-9
The principle of Landauer is a concept of thermodynamics also relevant in the theory of information, which indicates that the erasure of a little information from an information system leads to the dissipation of at least a specific amount (that is to say, kBTLN2) of energy. This principle has so far been mainly taken into account in the context of conventional computers and information processing systems.
However, researchers from Tu Vienne, Freie Universität Berlin, the University of British Columbia, the University of Crete and the University of Pavia recently extended the principle of Landauer to quantum systems with several bodies, from the systems made up of many interactioning quantum particles.
Their article, published in Nature physicsIntroduce a viable approach to experimentally probe this crucial principle in a quantum regime and test theoretical predictions rooted in quantum thermodynamics.
“It has long been recognized that the concepts of thermodynamics and information are deeply linked,” said Jens Eiet, principal author of the newspaper.
“Pioneers like Boltzmann and Gibbs have been guided by deep information on how the knowledge we have on a system shapes its significant description – a subsequent understanding enriched by Shannon’s fundamental work in the abstract information theory. At its heart, the information govern the behavior of thermodynamic systems, determining if the energy is channeled in a useful work heat.”
Two different thought experiences carried out by physicists James Clerk Maxwell and Leo Szilard in the 1860s and 1920s, were among the first to introduce the idea that thermodynamics results from incomplete information. This idea ultimately challenged previous theories, describing the paradoxes that emerge under certain hypothetical hypotheses on access to information in a system.
The recent study by Eisert and his colleagues is based on this previous work, while taking advantage of an experimental platform developed by Jörg Schmiedmayer. This platform consists mainly of an atom chip architecture which offers exceptional control over ultra-color atoms in continuous parameters.
“Our interest has focused on how concepts such as the deletion of information and heat production can manifest itself in this single quantum diet,” said Eisert. “This naturally brought us to the principle of Landauer, which affirms that the erasure of information necessarily implies the dissipation of heat in the environment – a fundamental link between thermodynamics and information.”
The principle of Landauer has been widely studied in the past, it is therefore necessary to be verified in an experimental framework. Instead, the researchers wanted to further explore their implications in the context of quantum systems with several bodies, as this could enrich both understanding of the principle and the systems studied.
“It is precisely with this perspective – both theoretical and experimental – that we decided to study,” said Eiet. “In our work, we follow precisely the evolution of the time of a quantum field subject to an extinction of global mass – of a huge theory of the prototypical quantum field. We analyze the thermodynamic and theoretical contributions of information to the production of general entropy through various system scores – Environment of the composite system.”
To test the principle of Landauer in a complex quantum system, Eisert and its colleagues used a quantum field simulator, a system that can be used to simulate the guided behavior by quantum mechanics of particles and fields. Their simulator relied on ultracold bose gas atoms, which are known to behave like quantum systems when cooled at temperatures around absolute zero. The experimental work of this study was carried out in a leading laboratory led by Jörg Schmmedmayer in you Vienna.
In particular, the results of the quantum simulations of the team were aligned with the predictions rooted in the theory of quantum fields, a framework which describes the behavior of particles and fields based on the laws of quantum mechanics. To explain their results, the researchers combined the theories of classical physics with quantum corrections, thus using a semi-classical almost framework.
“Methodologically, this is rendered by a dynamic tomographic reconstruction scheme that we have co-developed, which exploits selected time evolution instances to access and reconstruct otherly incompatible quantum properties,” said Eiet. “Our study first helps us to better understand how the principle of landauer manifests itself in this quantum theoretical context, as a fundamental overview of nature.
“More technologically, however, this helps us to better understand this experimental platform to develop it more towards a thermodynamic engine acting in or near the quantum mechanical diet.”
This study highlights the potential of quantum simulators based on ultra -color atoms to probe the concepts rooted in quantum thermodynamics. In the future, it could inspire other research teams to carry out similar experiences, which could possibly shed light on the development of new quantum processors and other quantum technologies.
“We would now like to better explore this platform, develop it in a thermal machine, see entanglement and quantum correlations at work,” added Eisert. “It’s a fascinating playground for that.”
Written for you by our author Ingrid Fadelli, edited by Lisa Lock, and verified and revised by Robert Egan – This article is the result of meticulous human work. We are counting on readers like you to keep independent scientific journalism alive. If this report matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You will get a without advertising count as a thank you.
More information:
Stefan Aimet et al, surveying the principle of Landauer experimentally in the quantum regime with several bodies, Nature physics (2025). Two: 10.1038 / S41567-025-02930-9
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