Why does the world around us typically look thermal—from cosmology down to individual embedded spins? Is the transition between mechanical and thermal systems gradual or discontinuous? Pertinent examples can be found in various processes implemented on small quantum systems. Particularly attractive are model systems that can be treated thermodynamically, but—to some extent—also exactly, for example based on pure quantum dynamics. This possibility opens the door to nano-thermodynamics. In this sense, the book aims at a modern perspective of nanoscale applications, defined as a potential realization of various functions as constrained by given resources.
