Thermodynamic control -- an old paradigm with new applications

TL;DR

This paper discusses thermodynamic control as a versatile and efficient alternative to traditional shortcuts to adiabaticity, applicable across various physical systems and processes.

Contribution

It introduces thermodynamic control as a new paradigm for optimal control, highlighting its broad applicability and pedagogical value.

Findings

Thermodynamic control offers a cost-effective alternative to quantum control techniques.

It has been successfully applied to heat engines, chemical reactions, and quantum dynamics.

The framework provides a pedagogical entry point for diverse applications.

Abstract

Tremendous research efforts have been invested in exploring and designing so-called shortcuts to adiabaticity. These are finite-time processes that produce the same final states that would result from infinitely slow driving. Most of these techniques rely on auxiliary fields and quantum control techniques, which makes them rather costly to implement. In this Perspective we outline an alternative paradigm for optimal control that has proven powerful in a wide variety of situations ranging from heat engines over chemical reactions to quantum dynamics -- thermodynamic control. Focusing on only a few, selected milestones we seek to provide a pedagogical entry point into this powerful and versatile framework.