Universal Precision Limits in General Open Quantum Systems

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Authors: Tan Van Vu, Ryotaro Honma, Keiji Saito
Cited by: 0
References: 72

Abstract

The intuition that the precision of observables is constrained by thermodynamic costs has recently been formalized through thermodynamic and kinetic uncertainty relations. While such trade-offs have been extensively studied in Markovian systems, corresponding constraints in the non-Markovian regime remain largely unexplored. In this Letter, we derive universal bounds on the precision of generic observables in open quantum systems that interact with their environments at arbitrary coupling strengths and are subjected to two-point measurements. By introducing an asymmetry term that quantifies the disparity between forward and backward processes, we show that the relative fluctuation of any time-antisymmetric current is constrained not only by entropy production but also by this asymmetry. For general observables, we further prove that their relative fluctuation is always bounded from below by a generalized activity term that characterizes environmental changes. These results establish a comprehensive framework for understanding the fundamental limits of precision in a broad class of open quantum systems, beyond the traditional Markovian setting.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics Quantum many-body systems Quantum Mechanics and Applications

Publication details

Journal / source
Physical Review Letters
Volume
136
Issue
19
Pages
190401–190401
Publication date
26 March 2026
Language
EN