# Maximal energy extraction via quantum measurement

## TL;DR

This paper introduces 'metrotropy', a measure of maximum energy extractable from a quantum system via projective measurements, and compares it to ergotropy, revealing bounds and optimal measurement strategies.

## Contribution

It defines and analyzes 'metrotropy', providing bounds and optimal measurement protocols for energy extraction in quantum systems initially in stationary states.

## Key findings

- Metrotropy is achieved by a combination of identity and involution permutations.
- Metrotropy is at most half of ergotropy, with the bound saturated by involution permutations.
- Optimal energy extraction via measurement involves specific permutation strategies.

## Abstract

We study the maximal amount of energy that can be extracted from a finite quantum system by means of projective measurements. For this quantity we coin the expression "metrotropy" $\mathcal{M}$, in analogy with "ergotropy" $\mathcal{W}$, which is the maximal amount of energy that can be extracted by means of unitary operations. The study is restricted to the case when the system is initially in a stationary state, and therefore the ergotropy is achieved by means of a permutation of the energy eigenstates. We show that i) the metrotropy is achieved by means of an even combination of the identity and an involution permutation; ii) it is $\mathcal{M}\leq\mathcal{W}/2$, with the bound being saturated when the permutation that achieves the ergotropy is an involution.