260018 VO Quantum Thermodynamics II (2018W)

Goal of the lecture is an in-depth exploration of thermodynamics at the quantum scale. The reversible nature of quantum evolution and the superposition principle bring about challenges for the thermodynamic laws as we know them. Furthermore, in classical physics, information theory is intrinsically tied to thermodynamic considerations through Maxwell’s demon and Landauer’s principle, which raises the question of how these considerations generalise to the quantum domain.
The content of the lecture spans the quantum mechanical origin of the second law using equilibration under reversible (unitary) dynamics, the modeling of open quantum systems and the resulting description of quantum machines and finally foundational questions of definitions of work and the interplay of quantum information and thermodynamics.