Observing a quantum Maxwell demon at work
Cotteta, N; Jezouina, S; Landry, B; et al.Campagne-Ibarcqa, P; Ficheuxa, Q; Anders, J; Auffèvesc, A; Azouitd, R; Rouchond, P; Huarda, B
Date: 3 July 2017
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Publisher DOI
Abstract
In apparent contradiction to the laws of thermodynamics, Maxwell’s
demon is able to cyclically extract work from a system in contact
with a thermal bath exploiting the information about its microstate.
The resolution of this paradox required the insight that an intimate
relationship exists between information and thermodynamics. ...
In apparent contradiction to the laws of thermodynamics, Maxwell’s
demon is able to cyclically extract work from a system in contact
with a thermal bath exploiting the information about its microstate.
The resolution of this paradox required the insight that an intimate
relationship exists between information and thermodynamics. Here,
we realize a Maxwell demon experiment that tracks the state of each
constituent both in the classical and quantum regimes. The demon
is a microwave cavity that encodes quantum information about a superconducting
qubit and converts information into work by powering
up a propagating microwave pulse by stimulated emission. Thanks
to the high level of control of superconducting circuits, we directly
measure the extracted work and quantify the entropy remaining in
the demon’s memory. This experiment provides an enlightening illustration
of the interplay of thermodynamics with quantum information.
Physics and Astronomy
Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy
Item views 0
Full item downloads 0