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Quantum physics

Observations turn up the heat

The idea that observers can influence what they observe has a history that stretches back beyond quantum physics. That we can affect how a system heats up and cools down simply by probing it is a new twist.

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Figure 1: Laser quantum heat engines.

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Chapin, K., Scully, M. Observations turn up the heat. Nature 452, 705–706 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/452705a

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