Optimal Control of Underdamped Systems: An Analytic Approach.

Optimal control theory deals with finding protocols to steer a system between assigned initial and final states, such that a trajectory-dependent cost function is minimized. The application of optimal control to stochastic systems is an open and challenging research frontier, with a spectrum of applications ranging from stochastic thermodynamics to biophysics and data science. Among these, the design of nanoscale electronic components motivates the study of underdamped dynamics, leading to practical and conceptual difficulties.

Quantum trajectory framework for general time-local master equations.

Master equations are one of the main avenues to study open quantum systems. When the master equation is of the Lindblad-Gorini-Kossakowski-Sudarshan form, its solution can be "unraveled in quantum trajectories" i.e.

Fluctuation relation for qubit calorimetry.

Motivated by proposed thermometry measurement on an open quantum system, we present a simple model of an externally driven qubit interacting with a finite-sized fermion environment acting as a calorimeter. The derived dynamics is governed by a stochastic Schrödinger equation coupled to the temperature change of the calorimeter. We prove a fluctuation relation and deduce from it a notion of entropy production.

Energy fluctuations of a finite free-electron Fermi gas.

We discuss the energy distribution of free-electron Fermi-gas, a problem with a textbook solution of Gaussian energy fluctuations in the limit of a large system. We find that for a small system, characterized solely by its heat capacity C, the distribution can be solved analytically, and it is both skewed and it vanishes at low energies, exhibiting a sharp drop to zero at the energy corresponding to the filled Fermi sea. The results are relevant from the experimental point of view, since the predicted non-Gaussian effects become pronounced when C/k_{B}≲10^{3} (k_{B} is the Boltzmann constant), a regime that can be easily achieved for instance in mesoscopic metallic conductors at sub-kelvin temperatures.

How nanomechanical systems can minimize dissipation.

Information processing machines at the nanoscales are unavoidably affected by thermal fluctuations. Efficient design requires understanding how nanomachines can operate at minimal energy dissipation. Here we focus on mechanical systems controlled by smoothly varying potential forces.