Prof. Massimo Palma

Università degli Studi di Palermo, Italy

The link between thermodynamics and quantum physics dates to the very early days of quantum theory. The black body spectrum, the Fermi-Dirac and the Bose-Einstein statistics are notable examples of the way quantum physics has helped understanding the thermodynamic behaviour of matter and the other way round the way in which thermodynamics has helped understanding the quantum world. In recent years, the advent of quantum information theory has lead on the one hand to a deeper understanding of the thermodynamics of mesoscopic and macroscopic systems, linking the emergence of a thermodynamic behaviour with quantum entanglement, a distinctively quantum phenomenon, and on the other hand it has shown how quantum coherence can enhance the efficiency of quantum thermodynamic engines at a microscopic / mesoscopic level.

Organisation: Prof. Dr. F. Jelezko, Tel. 23750

Host: Prof. Huelga, Tel. 22924, off.: 22911