Experiment and Theory of Resources in Quantum Technologies

The emergence of quantum information science and the subsequent development of quantum technologies is firmly rooted in the newly found appreciation of physical properties such as coherent superposition, entanglement and entropy as resources. These resources provide the fuel for quantum technologies that enables them to achieve efficiencies beyond the limits imposed by classical physics. The optimal exploitation of resources in quantum technologies requires as a foundation both a firm mathematical framework for a rigorous characterisation, manipulation and verification of quantum resources and experimental technologies that can manipulate them in practice. Building on these foundations, jointly theory and experiment can then design and realise protocols and devices to deliver optimised quantum technologies. ExTRaQT is a consortium of mathematicians, theoretical and experimental physicists as well as
molecular spectroscopists with proven track record of collaboration that will take this route by developing the theoretical and experimental foundations for quantum resource manipulation and, in a close collaboration across these fields, demonstrate experimentally key elements of quantum scale heat engines and apply these concepts to gain new insights into quantum dynamics of bio-molecular systems.

To this end, ExTRaQT will:
i) Develop the mathematical foundations of resource theories for states, operations and dynamics and apply them specifically to the resources of coherence and to thermodynamic processes at the quantum scale. Key processes in these resource theories will be identified to use them as a basis on which to achieve their experimental realisation.

ii) Design theoretically and optimise numerically experimental designs of key resource manipulation processes and quantum scale heat engines based on realistic experimental parameters of the experimental platforms of trapped ions and of bio-molecular systems.

iii) Use trapped ion quantum technologies to realise atomic scale quantum heat engines in contact with classical and quantum heat baths and analyse their performance in terms of the resource theory of quantum thermodynamics. Design and realise a quantum simulator for open quantum systems in contact with structured reservoirs capable of emulating dynamics of bio-molecular systems.

iv) Observe coherent electron-vibrational quantum transport dynamics in bio-molecular systems, assess the role of coherent dynamics and analyse these dynamics in terms of quantum heat engines. Electronic and vibrational structure of those systems will be tailored to achieve control over thermodynamic processes in such systems.