Realization of fluctuation relations in circuit quantum thermodynamics

Determine how fluctuation theorems and related fundamental fluctuation relations are realized in circuit quantum thermodynamics platforms in which the measurement and its apparatus significantly affect the system, so that measurement back-action cannot be neglected.

Background

Circuit quantum thermodynamics (cQTD) maps thermodynamic phenomena to engineered superconducting circuits on a chip, enabling precise control and local thermometry. While classical stochastic thermodynamics firmly establishes fluctuation relations, extending them to quantum circuits is complicated by measurement back-action and the nontrivial role of the detector.

The authors note that understanding fluctuations in cQTD remains unclear specifically because measurements and their apparatus affect the system, unlike idealized classical observers. Clarifying how fluctuation relations manifest in this setting would ground stochastic quantum thermodynamics experimentally in superconducting platforms.