Channels, measurements, and postselection in quantum thermodynamics

Abstract

We analyze the benefit, in terms of extracting work, of having a single use of a quantum channel or measurement in quantum thermodynamics. This highlights a connection between unital and catalytic channels, and some subtleties concerning the conditional work cost of implementing a measurement given that a certain result was obtained. We also consider postselected measurements and show that any nontrivial postselection leads to an unbounded work benefit.