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  • Open Access

Exclusive control of quantum memory erasure

Mir Alimuddin1,*,†, Nathan Shettell2,3, Raja Yehia1, Antonio Acín1,4, and Federico Centrone1,5,*,‡

  • *These authors contributed equally and share first authorship.
  • †Contact author: aliphy80@gmail.com
  • ‡Contact author: federico.centrone@icfo.eu
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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 043078 – Published 20 October, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/6jtz-g59p

Abstract

Erasing memory is a fundamental operational task in quantum information processing, governed by Landauer's principle, which links information loss to thermodynamic work. We introduce and analyze assisted quantum erasure, where correlations with a remote system reduce the energetic cost of resetting a memory. We identify exclusive control of erasure as the central operational requirement: Only a designated party should be able to achieve the minimal cost, whereas any adversary must fail. In the device-dependent regime, we show that entanglement of formation exactly characterizes exclusivity, establishing entanglement as the decisive thermodynamic resource. Moving to a one-sided device-independent scenario, in which only the memory holder's device is trusted, we develop an operational erasure protocol based on random dephasing and conditional operations. Finally, in a fully device-independent setting, we show how Bell nonlocality and self-testing translate observed violations into lower bounds on any adversary's erasure capability, yielding a device-independent notion of exclusive thermodynamic control. Taken together, these results elevate quantum erasure from a thermodynamic constraint to an operational primitive: The erasure work cost quantifies secure, exclusive control over quantum memory, ensuring that an unauthorized agent cannot fully erase information under a bounded work budget.

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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 043078– Published 20 October, 2026
  • Received 16 March 2026
  • Accepted 8 September 2026
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