Thermodynamics of a Physical Model Implementing a Maxwell Demon

Philipp Strasberg, Gernot Schaller, Tobias Brandes, and Massimiliano Esposito
Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 040601 – Published 24 January 2013

Abstract

We present a physical implementation of a Maxwell demon which consists of a conventional single electron transistor (SET) capacitively coupled to another quantum dot detecting its state. Altogether, the system is described by stochastic thermodynamics. We identify the regime where the energetics of the SET is not affected by the detection, but where its coarse-grained entropy production is shown to contain a new contribution compared to the isolated SET. This additional contribution can be identified as the information flow generated by the “Maxwell demon” feedback in an idealized limit.

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  • Received 20 October 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.040601

© 2013 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Philipp Strasberg1, Gernot Schaller1, Tobias Brandes1, and Massimiliano Esposito2

  • 1Institut für Theoretische Physik, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstrasse 36, D-10623 Berlin, Germany
  • 2Complex Systems and Statistical Mechanics, University of Luxembourg, L-1511 Luxembourg, Luxembourg

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Vol. 110, Iss. 4 — 25 January 2013

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