Quantum Engines at the Frontiers of Physics

Abstract

Thermodynamics was developed at the dawn of the industrial revolution to understand and optimize the new disruptive technology of the time, the steam engine. Emerging quantum technologies seem poised to usher in a new technological revolution based on the concept of the "quantum advantage" -- that quantum devices can harness non-classical correlations to outperform their classical counterparts. Practical and efficient implementation of such devices requires that we understand what energetic costs may be associated with utilizing these quantum resources, and how to minimize those costs. The developing field of quantum thermodynamics is uniquely poised to answer such questions. However, in order to understand how to extend the framework of thermodynamics to the quantum realm requires a well-established theoretical and practical framework. Heat engines serve as an ideal system for this task. In this dissertations, we comprehensively explore the quantum thermodynamics of indistinguishable particles guided by the analysis of quantum thermal machines.