Abstract
We present an experimental realization of an autonomous Maxwell’s demon, which extracts microscopic information from a system and reduces its entropy by applying feedback. It is based on two capacitively coupled single-electron devices, both integrated on the same electronic circuit. This setup allows a detailed analysis of the thermodynamics of both the demon and the system as well as their mutual information exchange. The operation of the demon is directly observed as a temperature drop in the system. We also observe a simultaneous temperature rise in the demon arising from the thermodynamic cost of generating the mutual information.
- Received 1 October 2015
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.260602
© 2015 American Physical Society
Viewpoint
Exorcising Maxwell’s Demon
Published 30 December 2015
A pair of connected single-electron devices functions as a Maxwell’s demon that operates without external control.
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