Gaussian time-translation covariant operations: structure, implementation, and thermodynamics

Quantum Physics arXiv:2601.02471 (quant-ph) [Submitted on 5 Jan 2026] Title:Gaussian time-translation covariant operations: structure, implementation, and thermodynamics Authors:Xueyuan Hu, Lea Lautenbacher, Giovanni Spaventa, Martin B. Plenio, Nelly H.Y. Ng, Jeongrak Son View a PDF of the paper titled Gaussian time-translation covariant operations: structure, implementation, and thermodynamics, by Xueyuan Hu and 5 other authors View PDF Abstract:Time-translation symmetry strongly constrains physical dynamics, yet systematic characterization for continuous-variable systems lags behind its discrete-variable counterpart. We close this gap by providing a rigorous classification of Gaussian quantum operations that are covariant under time translations, termed Gaussian covariant operations. We show that several key results known for discrete-variable covariant operations break down in the Gaussian optical setting: discrepancies arise in physical and thermodynamic implementation, in the extensivity of asymmetry, and in catalytic advantages. Our results provide comprehensive mathematical and operational toolkits for Gaussian covariant operations, including a peculiar pair of asymmetry measures that are completely non-extensive. Our findings also reveal surprising consequences of the interplay among symmetry, Gaussianity, and thermodynamic constraints, suggesting that real-world scenarios with multiple constraints have a rich structure not accessible from examining individual constraints separately. Comments: Subjects: Quantum Physics (quant-ph) Cite as: arXiv:2601.02471 [quant-ph] (or arXiv:2601.02471v1 [quant-ph] for this version) https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2601.02471 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration) Submission history From: Jeongrak Son [view email] [v1] Mon, 5 Jan 2026 19:00:01 UTC (60 KB) Full-text links: Access Paper: View a PDF of the paper titled Gaussian time-translation covariant operations: structure, implementation, and thermodynamics, by Xueyuan Hu and 5 other authorsView PDFTeX Source view license Current browse context: quant-ph new | recent | 2026-01 References & Citations INSPIRE HEP NASA ADSGoogle Scholar Semantic Scholar export BibTeX citation Loading... BibTeX formatted citation × loading... Data provided by: Bookmark Bibliographic Tools Bibliographic and Citation Tools Bibliographic Explorer Toggle Bibliographic Explorer (What is the Explorer?) Connected Papers Toggle Connected Papers (What is Connected Papers?) Litmaps Toggle Litmaps (What is Litmaps?) scite.ai Toggle scite Smart Citations (What are Smart Citations?) Code, Data, Media Code, Data and Media Associated with this Article alphaXiv Toggle alphaXiv (What is alphaXiv?) Links to Code Toggle CatalyzeX Code Finder for Papers (What is CatalyzeX?) DagsHub Toggle DagsHub (What is DagsHub?) GotitPub Toggle Gotit.pub (What is GotitPub?) Huggingface Toggle Hugging Face (What is Huggingface?) Links to Code Toggle Papers with Code (What is Papers with Code?) ScienceCast Toggle ScienceCast (What is ScienceCast?) Demos Demos Replicate Toggle Replicate (What is Replicate?) Spaces Toggle Hugging Face Spaces (What is Spaces?) Spaces Toggle TXYZ.AI (What is TXYZ.AI?) Related Papers Recommenders and Search Tools Link to Influence Flower Influence Flower (What are Influence Flowers?) Core recommender toggle CORE Recommender (What is CORE?) Author Venue Institution Topic About arXivLabs arXivLabs: experimental projects with community collaborators arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website. Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them. Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs. Which authors of this paper are endorsers? | Disable MathJax (What is MathJax?)