Thermodynamic constraints on the emergence of intersubjectivity in quantum systems

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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Publication Details

Journal
Physical review. A/Physical review, A
Published
2026-02-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/3312-b63x
Primary Topic
Quantum Mechanics and Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Thermodynamic constraints on the emergence of intersubjectivity in quantum systems

Felix C. Binder, Tiago Debarba, Anonymous
Physical review. A/Physical review, A
Quantum Mechanics and Applications
article

Thermodynamic constraints on the emergence of intersubjectivity in quantum systems

Felix C. Binder, Tiago Debarba, Anonymous
article en

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.

Physical review. A/Physical review, AVol. 113(3)
Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (BR), TU Wien (AT), Trinity College Dublin (IE), Digital Research Alliance of Canada, University of Palermo (IT)
John Templeton Foundation, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Informação Quântica
Openalex Percentile: Top 66%
Quantum Mechanics and Applications
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