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Thermodynamic constraints on the emergence of intersubjectivity in quantum systems

Alessandro Candeloro1,2,*, Tiago Debarba3,4,†, and Felix C. Binder1,5,‡

  • *Contact author: alessandro.candeloro@unipa.it
  • †Contact author: debarba@utfpr.edu.br
  • ‡Contact author: felix.binder@tcd.ie
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Phys. Rev. A 113, 032201 – Published 2 March, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/3312-b63x

Abstract

Ideal quantum measurement requires divergent thermodynamic resources. This is a consequence of the third law of thermodynamics, which prohibits the preparation of the measurement pointer in a fully erased, pure state required for the acquisition of perfect, noiseless measurement information. In this work, we investigate the consequences of finite resources in the emergence of intersubjectivity as a model for measurement processes with multiple observers. Here, intersubjectivity refers to a condition in which observers agree on the observed outcome (agreement), and their local random variables exactly reproduce the original random variable for the system observable (probability reproducibility). While agreement and reproducibility are mutually implied in the case of ideal measurement, finite thermodynamic resources constrain each of them. Starting from the third law of thermodynamics, we derive how the achievability of ideal intersubjectivity is affected by restricted thermodynamic resources. Specifically, we establish a no-go theorem concerning perfect intersubjectivity and present a deviation metric to account for the influence of limited resources. We further present attainable bounds for the agreement and bias that are exclusively dependent on the initial state of the environment. In addition, we show that either by cooling or coarse graining, we can approximate ideal intersubjectivity even with finite resources. This work bridges quantum thermodynamics and the emergence of classicality in the form of intersubjectivity.

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Phys. Rev. A 113, 032201– Published 2 March, 2026
  • Received 17 November 2025
  • Accepted 3 February 2026
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