2017/02/16 by Matteo Brunelli, Marco G. Genoni, Marco Barbieri +1 · 22 citations
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #Computer science #Gaussian #Physics #Quantum #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum entanglement #Quantum mechanics #Statistical physics #Work (physics) #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreva.96.062311
published in Physical Review A 96(6) (American Physical Society) · 12 pages, 8 figures
arxiv created 2017/02/16 · openalex publication_date 2017/12/11 · arxiv updated 2017/12/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We show how the presence of entanglement in a bipartite Gaussian state can be detected by the amount of work extracted by a continuous-variable Szilard-like device, where the bipartite state serves as the working medium of the engine. We provide an expression for the work extracted in such a process and specialize it to the case of Gaussian states. The extractable work provides a sufficient condition to witness entanglement in generic two-mode states, becoming also necessary for squeezed thermal states. We extend the protocol to tripartite Gaussian states and show that the full structure of inseparability classes cannot be discriminated based on the extractable work. This suggests that bipartite entanglement is the fundamental resource underpinning work extraction.