Developing a comprehensive theory of thermodynamics at the quantum scale requires a fundamental change of perspective with regards to its classical counterpart. On the one hand, measuring a quantum system will induce a non-negligible back-action and an energy cost that is at least comparable to the energy scale of the system. On the other hand, controlling microscopic degrees of freedom and harnessing quantum effects provides novel opportunities with no classical counterpart. In light of these facts, control over different quantum features and quantum measurements themselves become valuable resources that need to be integrated into any self-contained theory of quantum thermodynamics.

In this project, we aim to address two grand challenges in this context. First we will build a formal theory that includes measurement devices and control over quantum systems with fixed complexity to incorporate these concepts into thermodynamic considerations. Second, we will consider the fundamental thermodynamic limitations on information acquisition and processing, by constructing a thermodynamically self-contained description of the quantum measurement process. Finally, we will devise experimental proposals based on existing quantum technologies to make sure that the theoretical considerations describe relevant features correctly and incorporate limitations that exist within technological platforms.