Thermodynamics of Quantum Jump Trajectories

TL;DR

This paper uses large-deviation theory to analyze quantum jump trajectories in dissipative systems, revealing thermodynamic analogies and methods to realize rare trajectories as typical in alternative systems.

Contribution

It introduces a thermodynamic framework for quantum trajectories and demonstrates how rare events can be mapped to typical behaviors in different systems.

Findings

Large-deviation functions describe quantum jump statistics.

Thermodynamic analogy helps understand rare dissipative trajectories.

Rare trajectories can be realized as typical in mapped systems.

Abstract

We apply the large-deviation method to study trajectories in dissipative quantum systems. We show that in the long time limit the statistics of quantum jumps can be understood from thermodynamic arguments by exploiting the analogy between large-deviation and free-energy functions. This approach is particularly useful for uncovering properties of rare dissipative trajectories. We also prove, via an explicit quantum mapping, that rare trajectories of one system can be realized as typical trajectories of an alternative system.