Allowing to easily replicate and isolate a thermal processes with little unwanted interactions, quantum optical simulations can provide interesting insights into fundamental quantum thermodynamics. For instance, one can use an optical platform to simulate the interaction of a thermal bath with a single-qubit probe, in order to estimate its temperature. Through Landauer’s principle we can then establish a connection between thermodynamical and informational quantities and then employ informational considerations to better understand the thermodynamical system. But at what cost?

Landauer’s principle allow us to operate both ways: we can in fact cast the problem so to estimate the energetic cost of our simulation platform. In this seminar, we will review some results of simulated quantum thermodynamical processes and then discuss the energetic costs of the logic gates involved in those simulations.

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[2] V. Cavina et al, Phys. Rev. A 98, 050101(R) (2018)

[3] V. Cimini et al, NPJ QI 6:96 (2020)