Experimental characterization of the energetics of quantum logic gates

We characterize the energetic footprint of a two-qubit quantum gate from the perspective of non-equilibrium quantum thermodynamics. We experimentally reconstruct the statistics of energy and entropy fluctuations following the implementation of a controlled-unitary gate, linking them to the performance of the gate itself and the phenomenology of Landauer’s principle at the single-quantum level. Our work thus addresses the energetic cost of operating quantum circuits, a problem that is crucial for the grounding of the upcoming quantum technologies.