Thermodynamics is one of the founding scientific pillars that has helped us better understand heat engines, biology, ecosystems, and even black holes. While it fundamentally describes large systems... Show moreThermodynamics is one of the founding scientific pillars that has helped us better understand heat engines, biology, ecosystems, and even black holes. While it fundamentally describes large systems by examining the bulk behavior of their constituents, it is anchored in the statistical equivalence of equilibrium configurations of a formally infinite number of microscopic constituents. A question of its validity arises when one scales down to small quantum systems. Here, we have derived dynamic non-equilibrium relations that surprisingly resemble the classical thermodynamics laws, with a mix of quantum features that encode the dynamics of quantum information. Understanding the relation between the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of finite-size quantum systems and their initial thermodynamic state might have been a purely academic exercise fifteen years ago. But now, thanks to ultra-cold atomic quantum simulators and progress in quantum computers, the thermodynamics of finite-size quantum systems has practical implications too. The findings of this thesis contribute to understanding quantum many-body systems, particularly in the context of entanglement, non-equilibrium dynamics, thermalization, and charge transport. Show less
The goal of this thesis is to study charge transport phenomena in organic materials. This is done optically by means of single-moleculespectroscopy in a field-effect transistor based on a molecular... Show moreThe goal of this thesis is to study charge transport phenomena in organic materials. This is done optically by means of single-moleculespectroscopy in a field-effect transistor based on a molecular crystal.We present (in Chapter 2) a fundamental requirement for single-moleculespectroscopy concerning the energy levels of the guest molecule withrespect to the ones of the host molecule. Following this constraint, westudy (in Chapters 3 and 4) the photophysics of a new system forhigh-resolution spectroscopy at cryogenic temperatures, which consistsof dibenzoterrylene molecules inserted in a crystal of anthracene. Wethen characterise (in Chapter 5) the electrical properties of theanthracene field-effect transistor with 'conventional' methods. In Chapter 6, wefinally use the influence of an electric field on the spectroscopicproperties of fluorescent molecules to investigate locally the chargecarrier transport phenomena in a crystal of anthracene.The goal of this thesis is to study charge transport phenomena inorganic materials. This is done optically by means of single-moleculespectroscopy in a field-effect transistor based on a molecular crystal.We present (in Chapter 2) a fundamental requirement for single-moleculespectroscopy concerning the energy levels of the guest molecule withrespect to the ones of the host molecule. Following this constraint, westudy (in Chapters 3 and 4) the photophysics of a new system forhigh-resolution spectroscopy at cryogenic temperatures, which consistsof dibenzoterrylene molecules inserted in a crystal of anthracene. Wethen characterise (in Chapter 5) the electrical properties of theanthracene field-effect transistor with 'conventional' methods. In Chapter 6, wefinally use the influence of an electric field on the spectroscopicproperties of fluorescent molecules to investigate locally the chargecarrier transport phenomena in a crystal of anthracene.The goal of this thesis is to study charge transport phenomena inorganic materials. This is done optically by means of single-moleculespectroscopy in a field-effect transistor based on a molecular crystal.We present (in Chapter 2) a fundamental requirement for single-moleculespectroscopy concerning the energy levels of the guest molecule withrespect to the ones of the host molecule. Following this constraint, westudy (in Chapters 3 and 4) the photophysics of a new system forhigh-resolution spectroscopy at cryogenic temperatures, which consistsof dibenzoterrylene molecules inserted in a crystal of anthracene. Wethen characterise (in Chapter 5) the electrical properties of theanthracene field-effect transistor with 'conventional' methods. In Chapter 6, wefinally use the influence of an electric field on the spectroscopicproperties of fluorescent molecules to investigate locally the chargecarrier transport phenomena in a crystal of anthracene. Show less
