1
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Pruchyathamkorn J, Nguyen BNT, Grommet AB, Novoveska M, Ronson TK, Thoburn JD, Nitschke JR. Harnessing Maxwell's demon to establish a macroscale concentration gradient. Nat Chem 2024:10.1038/s41557-024-01549-2. [PMID: 38858517 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-024-01549-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Maxwell's demon describes a thought experiment in which a 'demon' regulates the flow of particles between two adjoining spaces, establishing a potential gradient without appearing to do work. This seeming paradox led to the understanding that sorting entails thermodynamic work, a foundational concept of information theory. In the past centuries, many systems analogous to Maxwell's demon have been introduced in the form of molecular information, molecular pumps and ratchets. Here we report a functional example of a Maxwell's demon that pumps material over centimetres, whereas previous examples operated on a molecular scale. In our system, this demon drives directional transport of o-fluoroazobenzene between the arms of a U-tube apparatus upon light irradiation, transiting through an aqueous membrane containing a coordination cage. The concentration gradient thus obtained is further harnessed to drive naphthalene transport in the opposite direction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bao-Nguyen T Nguyen
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Angela B Grommet
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Miroslava Novoveska
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tanya K Ronson
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - John D Thoburn
- Department of Chemistry, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, VA, USA
| | - Jonathan R Nitschke
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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2
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V K, Joseph T. Information engine with feedback delay based on a two-level system. Phys Rev E 2024; 109:034121. [PMID: 38632813 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.109.034121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
An information engine based on a two-level system in contact with a thermal reservoir is studied analytically. The model incorporates delay time between the measurement of the state of the system and the feedback. The engine efficiency and work extracted per cycle are studied as a function of delay time and energy spacing between the two levels. It is found that the range of delay time over which one can extract work from the information engine increases with temperature. For delay times comparable to the relaxation time, efficiency and work per cycle are maxima when k_{B}T≈2U_{0}, the energy difference between the levels. The generalized Jarzynski equality and the generalized integral fluctuation theorem are explicitly verified for the model. The results from the model are compared with the simulation results for a feedback engine based on a particle moving in a one-dimensional square potential. The variation of efficiency, work per cycle, and efficacy with the delay time is compared using relaxation time in the two-level model as the fitting parameter, leading to a good fit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiran V
- Department of Physics, BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa Campus, Zuarinagar 403726, Goa, India
| | - Toby Joseph
- Department of Physics, BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa Campus, Zuarinagar 403726, Goa, India
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3
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Saha TK, Ehrich J, Gavrilov M, Still S, Sivak DA, Bechhoefer J. Information Engine in a Nonequilibrium Bath. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2023; 131:057101. [PMID: 37595211 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.131.057101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023]
Abstract
Information engines can convert thermal fluctuations of a bath at temperature T into work at rates of order k_{B}T per relaxation time of the system. We show experimentally that such engines, when in contact with a bath that is out of equilibrium, can extract much more work. We place a heavy, micron-scale bead in a harmonic potential that ratchets up to capture favorable fluctuations. Adding a fluctuating electric field increases work extraction up to ten times, limited only by the strength of the applied field. Our results connect Maxwell's demon with energy harvesting and demonstrate that information engines in nonequilibrium baths can greatly outperform conventional engines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tushar K Saha
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6 Canada
| | - Jannik Ehrich
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6 Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA
| | - Momčilo Gavrilov
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6 Canada
| | - Susanne Still
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA
| | - David A Sivak
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6 Canada
| | - John Bechhoefer
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6 Canada
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4
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Monnai T. Arbitrary-time thermodynamic uncertainty relation from fluctuation theorem. Phys Rev E 2023; 108:024119. [PMID: 37723688 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.108.024119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
The thermodynamic uncertainty relation (TUR) provides a universal entropic bound for the precision of the fluctuation of the charge transfer, for example, for a class of continuous-time stochastic processes. However, its extension to general nonequilibrium dynamics is still an unsolved problem. We derive TUR for an arbitrary finite time from exchange fluctuation theorem under a geometric necessary and sufficient condition. We also generally show a necessary and sufficient condition of multidimensional TUR in a unified manner. As a nontrivial practical consequence, we obtain universal scaling relations among the mean and variance of the charge transfer in short time regime. In this manner, we can deepen our understanding of a link between two important rigorous relations, i.e., the fluctuation theorem and the thermodynamic uncertainty relation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takaaki Monnai
- Department of Science and Technology, Seikei University, Tokyo 180-8633, Japan
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5
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Schmitt RK, Potts PP, Linke H, Johansson J, Samuelsson P, Rico-Pasto M, Ritort F. Information-to-work conversion in single-molecule experiments: From discrete to continuous feedback. Phys Rev E 2023; 107:L052104. [PMID: 37329008 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.107.l052104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
We theoretically investigate the extractable work in single molecule unfolding-folding experiments with applied feedback. Using a simple two-state model, we obtain a description of the full work distribution from discrete to continuous feedback. The effect of the feedback is captured by a detailed fluctuation theorem, accounting for the information aquired. We find analytical expressions for the average work extraction as well as an experimentally measurable bound thereof, which becomes tight in the continuous feedback limit. We further determine the parameters for maximal power or rate of work extraction. Although our two-state model only depends on a single effective transition rate, we find qualitative agreement with Monte Carlo simulations of DNA hairpin unfolding-folding dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina K Schmitt
- Department of Physics and NanoLund, Lund University, Box 188, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Patrick P Potts
- Department of Physics and NanoLund, Lund University, Box 188, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Heiner Linke
- Department of Physics and NanoLund, Lund University, Box 188, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Jonas Johansson
- Department of Physics and NanoLund, Lund University, Box 188, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Peter Samuelsson
- Department of Physics and NanoLund, Lund University, Box 188, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Marc Rico-Pasto
- Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Small Biosystems Laboratory, Universitat de Barcelona, C/Marti i Franques 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Felix Ritort
- Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Small Biosystems Laboratory, Universitat de Barcelona, C/Marti i Franques 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
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6
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Garrahan JP, Ritort F. Generalized continuous Maxwell demons. Phys Rev E 2023; 107:034101. [PMID: 37072943 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.107.034101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
We introduce a family of generalized continuous Maxwell demons (GCMDs) operating on idealized single-bit equilibrium devices that combine the single-measurement Szilard and the repeated measurements of the continuous Maxwell demon protocols. We derive the cycle distributions for extracted work, information content, and time and compute the power and information-to-work efficiency fluctuations for the different models. We show that the efficiency at maximum power is maximal for an opportunistic protocol of continuous type in the dynamical regime dominated by rare events. We also extend the analysis to finite-time work extracting protocols by mapping them to a three-state GCMD. We show that dynamical finite-time correlations in this model increase the information-to-work conversion efficiency, underlining the role of temporal correlations in optimizing information-to-energy conversion. The effect of finite-time work extraction and demon memory resetting is also analyzed. We conclude that GCMD models are thermodynamically more efficient than the single-measurement Szilard and preferred for describing biological processes in an information-redundant world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan P Garrahan
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, England, United Kingdom
- Centre for the Mathematics and Theoretical Physics of Quantum Non-Equilibrium Systems, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, England, United Kingdom
| | - Felix Ritort
- Small Biosystems Lab, Condensed Matter Physics Department, Universitat de Barcelona, C/Martí i Franquès 1, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (IN2UB), Universitat de Barcelona, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
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7
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Freitas N, Esposito M. Information flows in macroscopic Maxwell's demons. Phys Rev E 2023; 107:014136. [PMID: 36797870 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.107.014136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
A CMOS-based implementation of an autonomous Maxwell's demon was recently proposed [Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 120602 (2022)0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.129.120602] to demonstrate that a Maxwell demon can still work at macroscopic scales, provided that its power supply is scaled appropriately. Here we first provide a full analytical characterization of the nonautonomous version of that model. We then study system-demon information flows within generic autonomous bipartite setups displaying a macroscopic limit. By doing so, we can study the thermodynamic efficiency of both the measurement and the feedback process performed by the demon. We find that the information flow is an intensive quantity and that, as a consequence, any Maxwell's demon is bound to stop working above a finite scale if all parameters but the scale are fixed. However, this can be prevented by appropriately scaling the thermodynamic forces. These general results are applied to the autonomous CMOS-based demon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nahuel Freitas
- Complex Systems and Statistical Mechanics, Department of Physics and Materials Science, University of Luxembourg, L-1511 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Massimiliano Esposito
- Complex Systems and Statistical Mechanics, Department of Physics and Materials Science, University of Luxembourg, L-1511 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
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8
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V K, Joseph T. Driven particle in a one-dimensional periodic potential with feedback control: Efficiency and power optimization. Phys Rev E 2022; 106:054146. [PMID: 36559401 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.106.054146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
A Brownian particle moving in a staircaselike potential with feedback control offers a way to implement Maxwell's demon. An experimental demonstration of such a system using sinusoidal periodic potential carried out by Toyabe et al. [Nat. Phys. 6, 988 (2010)1745-247310.1038/nphys1821] has shown that information about the particle's position can be converted to useful work. In this paper, we carry out a numerical study of a similar system using Brownian dynamics simulation. A Brownian particle moving in a periodic potential under the action of a constant driving force is made to move against the drive by measuring the position of the particle and effecting feedback control by altering potential. The work is extracted during the potential change and from the movement of the particle against the external drive. These work extractions come at the cost of information gathered during the measurement. Efficiency and work extracted per cycle of this information engine are optimized by varying control parameters as well as feedback protocols. Both these quantities are found to crucially depend on the amplitude of the periodic potential as well as the width of the region over which the particle is searched for during the measurement phase. For the case when potential flip (i.e., changing the phase of the potential by 180^{∘}) is used as the feedback mechanism, we argue that the square potential offers a more efficient information-to-work conversion. The control over the numerical parameters and averaging over large number of trial runs allow one to study the nonequilibrium work relations with feedback for this process with precision. It is seen that the generalized integral fluctuation theorem for error-free measurements holds to within the accuracy of the simulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiran V
- Department of Physics, BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa Campus, Zuarinagar 403726, Goa, India
| | - Toby Joseph
- Department of Physics, BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa Campus, Zuarinagar 403726, Goa, India
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9
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Saha TK, Lucero JNE, Ehrich J, Sivak DA, Bechhoefer J. Bayesian Information Engine that Optimally Exploits Noisy Measurements. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2022; 129:130601. [PMID: 36206430 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.129.130601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
We have experimentally realized an information engine consisting of an optically trapped, heavy bead in water. The device raises the trap center after a favorable "up" thermal fluctuation, thereby increasing the bead's average gravitational potential energy. In the presence of measurement noise, poor feedback decisions degrade its performance; below a critical signal-to-noise ratio, the engine shows a phase transition and cannot store any gravitational energy. However, using Bayesian estimates of the bead's position to make feedback decisions can extract gravitational energy at all measurement noise strengths and has maximum performance benefit at the critical signal-to-noise ratio.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tushar K Saha
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Joseph N E Lucero
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Jannik Ehrich
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - David A Sivak
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - John Bechhoefer
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
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10
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Freitas N, Esposito M. Maxwell Demon that Can Work at Macroscopic Scales. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2022; 129:120602. [PMID: 36179174 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.129.120602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Maxwell's demons work by rectifying thermal fluctuations. They are not expected to function at macroscopic scales where fluctuations become negligible and dynamics become deterministic. We propose an electronic implementation of an autonomous Maxwell's demon that indeed stops working in the regular macroscopic limit as the dynamics becomes deterministic. However, we find that if the power supplied to the demon is scaled up appropriately, the deterministic limit is avoided and the demon continues to work. The price to pay is a decreasing thermodynamic efficiency. Our Letter suggests that novel strategies may be found in nonequilibrium settings to bring to the macroscale nontrivial effects so far only observed at microscopic scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nahuel Freitas
- Complex Systems and Statistical Mechanics, Department of Physics and Materials Science, University of Luxembourg, L-1511 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Massimiliano Esposito
- Complex Systems and Statistical Mechanics, Department of Physics and Materials Science, University of Luxembourg, L-1511 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
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11
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Koshihara K, Yuasa K. Necessity of feedback control for the quantum Maxwell demon in a finite-time steady feedback cycle. Phys Rev E 2022; 106:024134. [PMID: 36109897 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.106.024134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We revisit quantum Maxwell demon in thermodynamic feedback cycle in the steady-state regime. We derive a generalized version of the Clausius inequality for a finite-time steady feedback cycle with a single heat bath. It is shown to be tighter than previously known ones, and allows us to clarify that feedback control is necessary to violate the standard Clausius inequality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenta Koshihara
- Department of Physics, Waseda University, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan
| | - Kazuya Yuasa
- Department of Physics, Waseda University, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan
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12
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Annby-Andersson B, Bakhshinezhad F, Bhattacharyya D, De Sousa G, Jarzynski C, Samuelsson P, Potts PP. Quantum Fokker-Planck Master Equation for Continuous Feedback Control. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2022; 129:050401. [PMID: 35960579 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.129.050401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Measurement and feedback control are essential features of quantum science, with applications ranging from quantum technology protocols to information-to-work conversion in quantum thermodynamics. Theoretical descriptions of feedback control are typically given in terms of stochastic equations requiring numerical solutions, or are limited to linear feedback protocols. Here we present a formalism for continuous quantum measurement and feedback, both linear and nonlinear. Our main result is a quantum Fokker-Planck master equation describing the joint dynamics of a quantum system and a detector with finite bandwidth. For fast measurements, we derive a Markovian master equation for the system alone, amenable to analytical treatment. We illustrate our formalism by investigating two basic information engines, one quantum and one classical.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Faraj Bakhshinezhad
- Physics Department and NanoLund, Lund University, Box 118, 22100 Lund, Sweden
| | - Debankur Bhattacharyya
- Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - Guilherme De Sousa
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - Christopher Jarzynski
- Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - Peter Samuelsson
- Physics Department and NanoLund, Lund University, Box 118, 22100 Lund, Sweden
| | - Patrick P Potts
- Physics Department and NanoLund, Lund University, Box 118, 22100 Lund, Sweden
- Department of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 82, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
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13
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Monnai T. Thermodynamic uncertainty relation for quantum work distribution: Exact case study for a perturbed oscillator. Phys Rev E 2022; 105:034115. [PMID: 35428050 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.105.034115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Recently, some general relations have been intensively investigated in nonequilibrium mesoscopic systems. In particular, the thermodynamic uncertainty relation (TUR) provides a general bound of the precision for the fluctuation of some currents in terms of the corresponding entropy production. On the other hand, the fluctuation of the work performed is also a significant quantity, which is supposed to satisfy TUR under some conditions, such as symmetric driving protocol. In this paper, we analytically show that the TUR holds for the work performed on an externally perturbed quantum harmonic oscillator interacting with multiple reservoirs in full quantum regime. In this manner, we evaluate how the noncommutativity affects the thermodynamic precision. We also explore its experimental accessibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takaaki Monnai
- Department of Materials and Life Science, Seikei University, Tokyo 180-8633, Japan
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14
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Fontana PW. Hidden Dissipation and Irreversibility in Maxwell's Demon. ENTROPY (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 24:93. [PMID: 35052118 PMCID: PMC8774989 DOI: 10.3390/e24010093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Maxwell's demon is an entity in a 150-year-old thought experiment that paradoxically appears to violate the second law of thermodynamics by reducing entropy without doing work. It has increasingly practical implications as advances in nanomachinery produce devices that push the thermodynamic limits imposed by the second law. A well-known explanation claiming that information erasure restores second law compliance fails to resolve the paradox because it assumes the second law a priori, and does not predict irreversibility. Instead, a purely mechanical resolution that does not require information theory is presented. The transport fluxes of mass, momentum, and energy involved in the demon's operation are analyzed and show that they imply "hidden" external work and dissipation. Computing the dissipation leads to a new lower bound on entropy production by the demon. It is strictly positive in all nontrivial cases, providing a more stringent limit than the second law and implying intrinsic thermodynamic irreversibility. The thermodynamic irreversibility is linked with mechanical irreversibility resulting from the spatial asymmetry of the demon's speed selection criteria, indicating one mechanism by which macroscopic irreversibility may emerge from microscopic dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul W Fontana
- Physics Department, Seattle University, 901 12th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122, USA
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15
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Opatrný T, Misra A, Kurizki G. Work Generation from Thermal Noise by Quantum Phase-Sensitive Observation. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 127:040602. [PMID: 34355968 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.127.040602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We put forward the concept of work extraction from thermal noise by phase-sensitive (homodyne) measurements of the noisy input followed by (outcome-dependent) unitary manipulations of the postmeasured state. For optimized measurements, noise input with more than one quantum on average is shown to yield heat-to-work conversion with efficiency and power that grow with the mean number of input quanta, the efficiency and the inverse temperature of the detector. This protocol is shown to be advantageous compared to common models of information and heat engines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Opatrný
- Department of Optics, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, 17. listopadu 50, 77146 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Avijit Misra
- International Center of Quantum Artificial Intelligence for Science and Technology (QuArtist) and Department of Physics, Shanghai University, 200444 Shanghai, China
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Gershon Kurizki
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
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16
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Abstract
Information-driven engines that rectify thermal fluctuations are a modern realization of the Maxwell-demon thought experiment. We introduce a simple design based on a heavy colloidal particle, held by an optical trap and immersed in water. Using a carefully designed feedback loop, our experimental realization of an "information ratchet" takes advantage of favorable "up" fluctuations to lift a weight against gravity, storing potential energy without doing external work. By optimizing the ratchet design for performance via a simple theory, we find that the rate of work storage and velocity of directed motion are limited only by the physical parameters of the engine: the size of the particle, stiffness of the ratchet spring, friction produced by the motion, and temperature of the surrounding medium. Notably, because performance saturates with increasing frequency of observations, the measurement process is not a limiting factor. The extracted power and velocity are at least an order of magnitude higher than in previously reported engines.
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17
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Freitas N, Esposito M. Characterizing autonomous Maxwell demons. Phys Rev E 2021; 103:032118. [PMID: 33862730 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.103.032118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
We distinguish traditional implementations of autonomous Maxwell demons from related linear devices that were recently proposed, not relying on the notions of measurements and feedback control. In both cases a current seems to flow against its spontaneous direction (imposed, e.g., by a thermal or electric gradient) without external energy intake. However, in the latter case, this current inversion may only be apparent. Even if the currents exchanged between a system and its reservoirs are inverted (by creating additional independent currents between system and demon), this is not enough to conclude that the original current through the system has been inverted. We show that this distinction can be revealed locally by measuring the fluctuations of the system-reservoir currents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nahuel Freitas
- Complex Systems and Statistical Mechanics, Department of Physics and Materials Science, University of Luxembourg, L-1511 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Massimiliano Esposito
- Complex Systems and Statistical Mechanics, Department of Physics and Materials Science, University of Luxembourg, L-1511 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
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18
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Semikolenov AV. Maxwell's quasi-demon as a property of an ideal gas in the equilibrium state. Proc Math Phys Eng Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2020.0232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The paper shows that for the case of an ideal gas in the equilibrium state there exists a method for splitting it into portions with different temperatures without energy transfer to or from the environment and without work being done. Compared with the thought experiment known as ‘Maxwell's demon’, in which such splitting is based on sorting specific molecules according to their energy levels, the process described does not require the energy of a specific molecule to be determined. Here the splitting is guided by the average energy of a group of molecules. The paper establishes the fact that the average energy of molecules striking the wall over a period of time is higher than the average energy of all molecules constituting the gas; this fact is what substantiates our method. This explains how a process that may result in extracting a higher temperature portion of the gas in the equilibrium state is generally possible. The paper considers one of the implementations of this process. We also show that groups of molecules may be split off from the gas, the average energy of said groups being lower than the average energy of the gas molecules in total.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey V. Semikolenov
- Department of Physics, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, ul. Baumanskaya 2-ya, 5/1, Moscow 105005, Russia
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19
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Rupprecht N, Vural DC. Predictive Maxwell's demons. Phys Rev E 2020; 102:062145. [PMID: 33465975 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.102.062145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Here we study the operation efficiency of a finite-size finite-response-time Maxwell's demon, who can make future predictions. We compare the heat and mass transport rate of predictive demons to nonpredictive ones and find that predictive demons can achieve higher mass and heat transport rates over longer periods of time. We determine how the demon performance varies with response time, future sight, and the density of the gasses on which they operate.
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20
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Lau B, Kedem O. Electron ratchets: State of the field and future challenges. J Chem Phys 2020; 152:200901. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0009561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Bryan Lau
- Center for Computational Quantum Physics, Flatiron Institute, 162 5th Avenue, New York, New York 10010, USA
| | - Ofer Kedem
- Department of Chemistry, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233, USA
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21
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Shenker O, Hemmo M. Maxwell's Demon in Quantum Mechanics. ENTROPY 2020; 22:e22030269. [PMID: 33286043 PMCID: PMC7516722 DOI: 10.3390/e22030269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Maxwell’s Demon is a thought experiment devised by J. C. Maxwell in 1867 in order to show that the Second Law of thermodynamics is not universal, since it has a counter-example. Since the Second Law is taken by many to provide an arrow of time, the threat to its universality threatens the account of temporal directionality as well. Various attempts to “exorcise” the Demon, by proving that it is impossible for one reason or another, have been made throughout the years, but none of them were successful. We have shown (in a number of publications) by a general state-space argument that Maxwell’s Demon is compatible with classical mechanics, and that the most recent solutions, based on Landauer’s thesis, are not general. In this paper we demonstrate that Maxwell’s Demon is also compatible with quantum mechanics. We do so by analyzing a particular (but highly idealized) experimental setup and proving that it violates the Second Law. Our discussion is in the framework of standard quantum mechanics; we give two separate arguments in the framework of quantum mechanics with and without the projection postulate. We address in our analysis the connection between measurement and erasure interactions and we show how these notions are applicable in the microscopic quantum mechanical structure. We discuss what might be the quantum mechanical counterpart of the classical notion of “macrostates”, thus explaining why our Quantum Demon setup works not only at the micro level but also at the macro level, properly understood. One implication of our analysis is that the Second Law cannot provide a universal lawlike basis for an account of the arrow of time; this account has to be sought elsewhere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orly Shenker
- Department of Philosophy, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Mount Scopus, Jerusalem 91905, Israel
- Correspondence:
| | - Meir Hemmo
- Department of Philosophy, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel;
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22
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Sánchez R, Splettstoesser J, Whitney RS. Nonequilibrium System as a Demon. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2019; 123:216801. [PMID: 31809128 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.123.216801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Maxwell demons are creatures that are imagined to be able to reduce the entropy of a system without performing any work on it. Conventionally, such a Maxwell demon's intricate action consists of measuring individual particles and subsequently performing feedback. We show that much simpler setups can still act as demons: we demonstrate that it is sufficient to exploit a nonequilibrium distribution to seemingly break the second law of thermodynamics. We propose both an electronic and an optical implementation of this phenomenon, realizable with current technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Sánchez
- Departamento de Física Teórica de la Materia Condensada, Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC), and Instituto Nicolás Cabrera, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Janine Splettstoesser
- Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2), Chalmers University of Technology, S-412 96 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Robert S Whitney
- Laboratoire de Physique et Modélisation des Milieux Condensés, Université Grenoble Alpes and CNRS, BP 166, 38042 Grenoble, France
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23
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Rupprecht N, Vural DC. Maxwell's Demons with Finite Size and Response Time. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2019; 123:080603. [PMID: 31491195 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.123.080603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Revised: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Nearly all theoretical analyses of Maxwell's demon focus on its energetic and entropic costs of operation. Here, we focus on its rate of operation. In our model, a demon's rate limitation stems from its finite response time and gate area. We determine the rate limits of mass and energy transfer, as well as entropic reduction for four such demons: those that select particles according to (1) direction, (2) energy, (3) number, and (4) entropy. Last, we determine the optimal gate size for a demon with small, finite response time, and compare our predictions with molecular dynamics simulations with both ideal and nonideal gasses. Also, we study the conditions under which the demons are able to move both energy and particles in the chosen direction when attempting to only move one.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel Rupprecht
- Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, USA
| | - Dervis Can Vural
- Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, USA
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24
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Strasberg P, Winter A. Stochastic thermodynamics with arbitrary interventions. Phys Rev E 2019; 100:022135. [PMID: 31574732 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.100.022135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We extend the theory of stochastic thermodynamics in three directions: (i) instead of a continuously monitored system we consider measurements only at an arbitrary set of discrete times, (ii) we allow for imperfect measurements and incomplete information in the description, and (iii) we treat arbitrary manipulations (e.g., feedback control operations) which are allowed to depend on the entire measurement record. For this purpose we define for a driven system in contact with a single heat bath the four key thermodynamic quantities-internal energy, heat, work, and entropy-along a single "trajectory" for a causal model. The first law at the trajectory level and the second law on average is verified. We highlight the special case of Bayesian or "bare" measurements (incomplete information, but no average disturbance) which allows us to compare our theory with the literature and to derive a general inequality for the estimated free energy difference in Jarzynski-type experiments. An analysis of a recent Maxwell demon experiment using real-time feedback control is also given. As a mathematical tool, we prove a classical version of Stinespring's dilation theorem, which might be of independent interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Strasberg
- Física Teòrica: Informació i Fenòmens Quàntics, Departament de Física, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Andreas Winter
- Física Teòrica: Informació i Fenòmens Quàntics, Departament de Física, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain
- ICREA - Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Passeig Lluis Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
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25
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Ptaszyński K, Esposito M. Thermodynamics of Quantum Information Flows. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2019; 122:150603. [PMID: 31050547 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.122.150603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Revised: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We report two results complementing the second law of thermodynamics for Markovian open quantum systems coupled to multiple reservoirs with different temperatures and chemical potentials. First, we derive a nonequilibrium free energy inequality providing an upper bound for a maximum power output, which for systems with inhomogeneous temperature is not equivalent to the Clausius inequality. Second, we derive local Clausius and free energy inequalities for subsystems of a composite system. These inequalities differ from the total system one by the presence of an information-related contribution and build the ground for thermodynamics of quantum information processing. Our theory is used to study an autonomous Maxwell demon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krzysztof Ptaszyński
- Institute of Molecular Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Mariana Smoluchowskiego 17, 60-179 Poznań, Poland
| | - Massimiliano Esposito
- Complex Systems and Statistical Mechanics, Physics and Materials Science Research Unit, University of Luxembourg, L-1511 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
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26
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A Programmable Mechanical Maxwell's Demon. ENTROPY 2019; 21:e21010065. [PMID: 33266781 PMCID: PMC7514173 DOI: 10.3390/e21010065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Revised: 12/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
We introduce and investigate a simple and explicitly mechanical model of Maxwell’s demon—a device that interacts with a memory register (a stream of bits), a thermal reservoir (an ideal gas) and a work reservoir (a mass that can be lifted or lowered). Our device is similar to one that we have briefly described elsewhere, but it has the additional feature that it can be programmed to recognize a chosen reference sequence, for instance, the binary representation of π. If the bits in the memory register match those of the reference sequence, then the device extracts heat from the thermal reservoir and converts it into work to lift a small mass. Conversely, the device can operate as a generalized Landauer’s eraser (or copier), harnessing the energy of a dropping mass to write the chosen reference sequence onto the memory register, replacing whatever information may previously have been stored there. Our model can be interpreted either as a machine that autonomously performs a conversion between information and energy, or else as a feedback-controlled device that is operated by an external agent. We derive generalized second laws of thermodynamics for both pictures. We illustrate our model with numerical simulations, as well as analytical calculations in a particular, exactly solvable limit.
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27
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Potts PP, Samuelsson P. Detailed Fluctuation Relation for Arbitrary Measurement and Feedback Schemes. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2018; 121:210603. [PMID: 30517817 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.121.210603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Revised: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Fluctuation relations are powerful equalities that hold far from equilibrium. However, the standard approach to include measurement and feedback schemes may become inapplicable in certain situations, including continuous measurements, precise measurements of continuous variables, and feedback induced irreversibility. Here we overcome these shortcomings by providing a recipe for producing detailed fluctuation relations. Based on this recipe, we derive a fluctuation relation which holds for arbitrary measurement and feedback control. The key insight is that fluctuations inferable from the measurement outcomes may be suppressed by postselection. Our detailed fluctuation relation results in a stringent and experimentally accessible inequality on the extractable work, which is saturated when the full entropy production is inferable from the data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick P Potts
- Physics Department and NanoLund, Lund University, Box 118, 22100 Lund, Sweden
| | - Peter Samuelsson
- Physics Department and NanoLund, Lund University, Box 118, 22100 Lund, Sweden
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28
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Liu F, Ibukuro K, Husain MK, Li Z, Hillier J, Tomita I, Tsuchiya Y, Rutt H, Saito S. Manipulation of random telegraph signals in a silicon nanowire transistor with a triple gate. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2018; 29:475201. [PMID: 30191886 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/aadfa6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Manipulation of carrier densities at the single electron level is inevitable in modern silicon based transistors to ensure reliable circuit operation with sufficiently low threshold-voltage variations. However, previous methods required statistical analysis to identify devices which exhibit random telegraph signals (RTSs), caused by trapping and de-trapping of a single electron. Here, we show that we can deliberately introduce an RTS in a silicon nanowire transistor, with its probability distribution perfectly controlled by a triple gate. A quantum dot (QD) was electrically defined in a silicon nanowire transistor with a triple gate, and an RTS was observed when two barrier gates were negatively biased to form potential barriers, while the entire nanowire channel was weakly inverted by the top gate. We could successfully derive the energy levels in the QD from the quantum mechanical probability distributions and the average lifetimes of RTSs. This study reveals that we can manipulate individual electrons electrically, even at room temperature, and paves the way to use a charged state for quantum technologies in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fayong Liu
- Sustainable Electronic Technologies, Electronics and Computer Science, Faculty of Physical Science and Engineering, University of Southampton, University Road, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
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29
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Sivakumarasamy R, Hartkamp R, Siboulet B, Dufrêche JF, Nishiguchi K, Fujiwara A, Clément N. Selective layer-free blood serum ionogram based on ion-specific interactions with a nanotransistor. NATURE MATERIALS 2018; 17:464-470. [PMID: 29403057 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-017-0016-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2016] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Despite being ubiquitous in the fields of chemistry and biology, the ion-specific effects of electrolytes pose major challenges for researchers. A lack of understanding about ion-specific surface interactions has hampered the development and application of materials for (bio-)chemical sensor applications. Here, we show that scaling a silicon nanotransistor sensor down to ~25 nm provides a unique opportunity to understand and exploit ion-specific surface interactions, yielding a surface that is highly sensitive to cations and inert to pH. The unprecedented sensitivity of these devices to Na+ and divalent ions can be attributed to an overscreening effect via molecular dynamics. The surface potential of multi-ion solutions is well described by the sum of the electrochemical potentials of each cation, enabling selective measurements of a target ion concentration without requiring a selective organic layer. We use these features to construct a blood serum ionogram for Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+, in an important step towards the development of a versatile, durable and mobile chemical or blood diagnostic tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Sivakumarasamy
- Institute of Electronics, Microelectronics, and Nanotechnology, CNRS, University of Lille, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
| | - R Hartkamp
- Process and Energy Department, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands
| | - B Siboulet
- Institut de Chimie Separative de Marcoule ICSM, ICSM, CEA, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier University, Marcoule, Bagnols-sur-Ceze, France
| | - J-F Dufrêche
- Institut de Chimie Separative de Marcoule ICSM, ICSM, CEA, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier University, Marcoule, Bagnols-sur-Ceze, France
| | - K Nishiguchi
- NTT Basic Research Laboratories, NTT Corporation, Atsugi-shi, Japan
| | - A Fujiwara
- NTT Basic Research Laboratories, NTT Corporation, Atsugi-shi, Japan
| | - N Clément
- Institute of Electronics, Microelectronics, and Nanotechnology, CNRS, University of Lille, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.
- NTT Basic Research Laboratories, NTT Corporation, Atsugi-shi, Japan.
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