Meeting description:

Thermodynamic processes in finite time was the topic of the inaugural first workshop at TSRC. Dubbed the Horse-Carrot workshop, it featured the first use of Riemannian geometric methods for the study of lost work in thermodynamic processes. The sequence of workshops that followed over the next 40 years has developed powerful finite-time approaches to many problems of Finite Time Thermodynamics (FTT) including the design and optimization of thermodynamic engines, both classical and quantum, the implications for biological systems at various scales as well as connections and implications for information theory and even for economics. These workshops continue to expand our understanding and analyses into new areas where we are interested in minimizing “the cost of haste”.

The topics envisioned for this year fall into four major groups:

Quantifying Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics
- Endoreversible modelling of thermal processes
- Efficiencies and other thermodynamic optimization goals
- Description of irreversible chemical processes

Optimal control of thermodynamic and similar systems
- Thermodynamic path optimization of irreversible processes
- Optimal quantum control and quantum friction
- Optimal control in economics

Optimization in biology, chemistry, etc.
- Information use for efficiency enhancement
- Entropies in biology and ecology
- Nearly reversible cycles in biological systems

Non-equilibrium thermodynamics in computing
- Thermodynamic behavior of computer programs, e.g. AI
- Thermodynamic design for computer programs
- Information engines

As in the past, this year’s workshop will endeavor to give each participant an opportunity to share his/her current work in the area of thermodynamics. As a result, the topics discussed depend strongly on the participants that attend. The workshop will allow ample time for the crucial intensive but constructive quizzing of the speaker by the audience. This format allows the participants to exchange ideas in detail, and leads to collaborations among the participants. Fostering such collaborations has always been the primary goal of TSRC workshops.