  We give an overview of our recent theoretical studies of the thermodynamics
of excitons, and other solid-state qubits, driven by time-dependent laser
fields. We consider a single such emitter and describe how the formation of
strong-field dressed states allows the emitter to absorb or emit acoustic
phonons in a controlled way. We present results for the heat absorption, and
show that the form of the driving field can be tailored to produce different
thermodynamic processes, including both reversible and irreversible heat
absorption. We discuss these effects from the perspective of quantum
thermodynamics and outline the possibility of using them for optical cooling of
solids to low temperatures.
