Is coherence catalytic?

Quantum coherence, the ability to control the phases in superposition states is a resource, and it is of crucial importance, therefore, to understand how it is consumed in use. It has been suggested that catalytic coherence is possible, that is repeated use of the coherence without degradation or re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of physics. A, Mathematical and theoretical Mathematical and theoretical, 2018-10, Vol.51 (41), p.414008
Main Authors: Vaccaro, Joan A, Croke, Sarah, Barnett, Stephen M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
quantum coherence
quantum correlations
resource theory
state discrimination
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Summary:Quantum coherence, the ability to control the phases in superposition states is a resource, and it is of crucial importance, therefore, to understand how it is consumed in use. It has been suggested that catalytic coherence is possible, that is repeated use of the coherence without degradation or reduction in performance. The claim has particular relevance for quantum thermodynamics because, were it true, it would allow free energy that is locked in coherence to be extracted indefinitely. We address this issue directly with a careful analysis of the proposal by Åberg (2014 Phys. Rev. Lett. 113 150402). We find that coherence cannot be used catalytically, or even repeatedly without limit.
ISSN:1751-8113
1751-8121
DOI:10.1088/1751-8121/aac112