Quantum Thermodynamics and Quantum Technologies: Systems at the microscopic scale and at low temperatures abide by the laws of quantum mechanics. On the other hand, they are also expected to follow the laws of thermodynamics. How do we combine the two? We study the thermodynamics of systems in the quantum regime. For example, how do the quantum properties of systems, such as quantum coherence, entanglement, etc. affect the thermodynamics of these systems? We are also interested in modelling technologies based on quantum systems, such as quantum thermal machines, quantum batteries, quantum sensors, etc., and studying control protocols to realize quantum technologies exhibiting quantum advantage, i.e., quantum technologies which can outperform equivalent classical technologies.
Selected Publications
Victor Mukherjee and Uma Divakaran, The promises and challenges of many-body quantum technologies: A focus on quantum engines, Nat Commun 15, 3170 (2024).
Nikhil Gupt, Srijan Bhattacharyya, Bikash Das, Subhadeep Datta, Victor Mukherjee and Arnab Ghosh, Floquet Quantum Thermal Transistor, Phys. Rev. E 106, 024110 (2022). (Associated article in Physics).
Wolfgang Niedenzu, Victor Mukherjee, Arnab Ghosh, Abraham G. Kofman and Gershon Kurizki, Quantum engine efficiency bound beyond the second law of thermodynamics, Nature Communications 9, 165 (2018).
Time crystals: Time crystals are a relatively recently discovered non-equilibrium phase of matter showing spontaneous symmetry breaking in time. Analogous to conventional crystals in space where particles are arranged following a spatial pattern, in case of time crystals the pattern arises in time. Several open questions remain regarding the dynamics and thermodynamics of time-crystal phase transitions. We study the dynamics, fluctuations and critical properties of discrete and boundary time crystals, and also focus on time crystal based quantum technologies.
Selected Publications:
Rahul Ghosh, Bandita Das and Victor Mukherjee, Quantum sensing with discrete time crystals in the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick Model, Phys. Rev. B 113, 174302 (2026).
Bandita Das, Rahul Ghosh and Victor Mukherjee, Stabilizing boundary time crystals through Non-markovian dynamics, Phys. Rev. A 113, 052205 (2026).
Bandita Das, Noufal Jaseem, Victor Mukherjee, Discrete time crystals in the presence of non-Markovian dynamics, Phys. Rev. A 110, 012208 (2024).
Quantum Control: Efficient control of quantum systems is essential for the development of quantum technologies, and is an integral part of different branches of physics, including condensed matter, quantum optics, and open quantum systems. We study ways of controlling closed and open quantum systems. For example, we are interested in studying ways of reducing excitations is systems driven across quantum critical points through application of shortcuts to adiabaticity, cooling quantum systems at the quantum speed limit, enhancing efficiency, power or refrigeration in quantum thermal machines, modelling high-precision quantum probes, etc..
Selected Publications
Shishira Mahunta and Victor Mukherjee, Shortcuts to adiabaticity in open quantum critical systems, Phys. Rev. B 111, 064301 (2025).
Andreas Hartmann, Victor Mukherjee, Wolfgang Niedenzu and Wolfgang Lechner, Many-body quantum heat engines with shortcuts to adiabaticity, Phys. Rev. Research 2, 023145 (2020).
Victor Mukherjee, Alberto Carlini, Andrea Mari, Tommaso Caneva, Simone Montangero, Tommaso Calarco, Rosario Fazio, and Vittorio Giovannetti, Speeding up and slowing down the relaxation of a qubit by optimal control, Phys. Rev. A 88, 062326 (2013).
Quantum critical systems driven out of equilibrium: The diverging length and time scales close to a quantum critical point leads to non-trivial behaviors in many-body systems. Different quantum information theoretic measures, for example entanglement, fidelity, Loschmidt echo, etc. as well as excitation, defect density, are expected to show universal scaling forms in quantum critical systems. We are interested in studying these universal characteristics of systems driven through quantum critical points.
Selected Publications:
Shishira Mahunta and Victor Mukherjee, Long-range interactions assisted shortcuts to adiabaticity and battery charging in open quantum critical systems, arXiv: 2606.07221.
Revathy B. S., Victor Mukherjee, Uma Divakaran and Adolfo del Campo, Universal finite-time thermodynamics of many-body quantum machines from Kibble-Zurek scaling, Phys. Rev. Research 2, 043247 (2020).
Victor Mukherjee, Uma Divakaran, Amit Dutta and Diptiman Sen, Quenching dynamics of a quantum XY spin- 1 / 2 chain in a transverse field, Phys. Rev. B 76, 174303 (2007).