title: Employing trapped cold ions to verify the quantum Jarzynski equality.
abstract: We propose a scheme to investigate the nonequilibrium work distribution of a quantum particle under well controlled transformations of the external potential, exploiting the versatility of a single ion in a segmented linear Paul trap. We describe in detail how the motional quantum state of a single ion can be prepared, manipulated, and finally readout to fully determine the free energy difference in both harmonic and anharmonic potentials. Uniquely to our system, we show how an ion may be immersed in an engineered laser-field reservoir. Trapped ions therefore represent an ideal tool for investigating the Jarzynski equality in open and closed quantum systems.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Quanten-Informationsverarbeitung, Universität Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, D-89069 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.forename: Ferdinand
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schmidt-Kaler
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Deffner
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lutz