Fluctuation Theorems are central in stochastic thermodynamics, as they allow for quantifying the irreversibility of individual transformations. Although they have been experimentally checked in the classical regime, an experimental demonstration in the framework of quantum open systems is still to come. Here we suggest a realistic platform to probe fluctuation theorems in the quantum regime. It is based on an effective two-level system coupled to an engineered reservoir, that enables the on time measurement of the heat exchanged with the thermal bath through the detection of the photons emitted and absorbed by the system. When the system is coherently driven, we also evidence a measurable quantum component in entropy production. Finally, we quantify the error due to the photo detection efficiency, and show the missing information can be efficiently corrected, based solely on the detected events. Our findings provide new insights into how the quantization of a system impacts its thermodynamic evolution.

Contact : benjamin.sacepe@grenoble.cnrs.fr