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  • Open Access

Characterizing quantum measurement through environmental stochastic entropy production in a two-spin-1/2 system

Sophia M. Walls*, Adam Bloss, and Ian J. Ford

  • *Contact author: sophia.walls.17@ucl.ac.uk
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Phys. Rev. A 112, 032210 – Published 9 September, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/jdwl-rv38

Abstract

Quantum state diffusion is a framework within which measurement may be described as the continuous and gradual collapse of a quantum system to an eigenstate as a result of interaction with its environment. The irreversible nature of the quantum trajectories that arise may be characterized by the environmental stochastic entropy production associated with the measurement. We consider a system of two spin-1/2 particles undergoing either single-particle measurements or measurements of the total z-spin component Sz. The mean asymptotic rates of environmental stochastic entropy production associated with collapse can depend on the eigenstate of Sz selected and on the initial state of the system, offering an additional avenue for characterizing quantum measurement.

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Phys. Rev. A 112, 032210– Published 9 September, 2025
  • Received 25 April 2025
  • Accepted 30 July 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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