Key Issues Review: Useful autonomous quantum machines

TL;DR

This paper reviews the fundamental conditions necessary for developing useful autonomous quantum machines, inspired by quantum thermodynamics and chemistry, and illustrates these criteria with various machine types and platforms.

Contribution

It introduces a set of criteria for autonomous quantum machines, analogous to DiVincenzo's criteria for quantum computing, guiding future development.

Findings

Proposes fundamental conditions for autonomous quantum machines.

Illustrates criteria with multiple machine types and platforms.

Aims to guide the development of practical autonomous quantum devices.

Abstract

Controlled quantum machines have matured significantly. A natural next step is to increasingly grant them autonomy, freeing them from time-dependent external control. For example, autonomy could pare down the classical control wires that heat and decohere quantum circuits; and an autonomous quantum refrigerator recently reset a superconducting qubit to near its ground state, as is necessary before a computation. Which fundamental conditions are necessary for realizing useful autonomous quantum machines? Inspired by recent quantum thermodynamics and chemistry, we posit conditions analogous to DiVincenzo's criteria for quantum computing. Furthermore, we illustrate the criteria with multiple autonomous quantum machines (refrigerators, circuits, clocks, etc.) and multiple candidate platforms (neutral atoms, molecules, superconducting qubits, etc.). Our criteria are intended to foment and guide the development of useful autonomous quantum machines.