Quantum thermodynamics in nanoscale systems - fluctuations, measurement and feedback

The increasing electricity consumption of information and communication technologies highlights the need for energy-sustainable emerging and future technologies.

For quantum technologies, which have the potential to be much more energy-efficient than their classical counterparts, optimizing energy-efficient control electronics and cryogenic cooling is at the focus of present efforts.

In the long term, it is however essential to also better understand and control fundamental processes on-chip, resulting in dissipation and heat flows, to realize the full potential of a quantum energy advantage.

To achieve this, a better fundamental knowledge of concepts within the fields of nanoscale and quantum thermodynamics, where fluctuations are ubiquitous, are required.To fill these gaps of understanding, here we propose three interrelated projects.

The first one aims to develop stochastic thermodynamic theory for electronic transport in nanoscale conductors coupled to reservoirs with fluctuating temperatures.

The second one aims to develop a thermodynamically consistent quantum theory for measurement and feedback in nanoscale energy conversion.

Finally, the third one aims to develop operational criteria for quantum advantages in continuously operating, entangled heat engines.The outcome of these projects will be novel theoretical methods and increased fundamental understanding, guiding proof-of-principle experiments and contributing to realizing a quantum technology energy advantage.