Research Projects

How does an open quantum system behave when it is strongly coupled with a single and/or multiple environments/baths? The core theme of this proposal is to address this challenging question and also to understand the impact of strong coupling and associated non-Markovian physics in the context of designing efficient quantum devices such as quantum heat engines and quantum absorption refrigerators. Understanding strong coupling physics has generated significant research interest in recent times primarily due to the small-scale state-of-the-art experimental platforms that offer great tunability and controllability, such as optomechanical resonators, quantum simulation platforms, superconducting circuits, etc. The proposed research will make significant contributions by adapting and developing thermodynamically consistent theoretical and computational tools to interrogate the role of strong coupling and associated non-Markovian physics for open quantum systems. With these tools in hand, we will further aim toward understanding non-equilibrium steady-state transport properties in presence of strongly coupled multiple baths and explore whether or not collective/cooperative effects due to strong system-bath coupling can lead to the design of optimal quantum devices that may be unattainable in the corresponding weak-coupling limit.