Features of Complexity
Ronnie Kosloff · Advances in chemical physics · 2014
A complex dynamical system is associated with a description which requires a number of variables comparable to the number of particles. If one accepts that quantum mechanics is the basic theory of matter, they are faced with the dilemma of the emergence of dynamical complexity. Quantum control focuses on guiding quantum systems from initial states to targets governed by time-dependent external fields. Two interlinked theoretical problems dominate quantum control: the first is the existence of a solution and the second is how to find the control field. Heat engines can be roughly classified as reciprocating cycles such as the Otto or Carnot cycle or continuous resembling turbines. Each class has its advantages in connecting to quantum theory. The chapter also demonstrates this connection with the quantum version of the Otto cycle for a reciprocating model and the quantum tricycle as the generic model of a continuous heat engine is demonstrated.