Quantum Coherence and Anomalous Work Extraction in Qubit Gate Dynamics

Abstract: We develop a framework based on the Kirkwood-Dirac quasiprobability distribution to quantify the contribution of coherence to work extraction during generic, cyclic quantum evolutions. In particular, we focus on ``anomalous processes'', counterintuitive scenarios in which, due to the negativity of the quasiprobability distribution, work can be extracted, even when individual processes are associated with energy gain. Applying this framework to qubits undergoing sequences of single- and two-qubit gate operations, we identify specific conditions under which such anomalous work exchanges occur. Furthermore, we analyze the quasiprobabilistic structure of deep quantum circuits and establish a compositional relation linking the work statistics of full circuits to those of their constituent gates. Our work highlights the role of coherence in the thermodynamics of quantum computation and provides a foundation for systematically studying potential thermodynamic relevance of specific quantum circuits.