Thermodynamics of feedback controlled systems

TL;DR

This paper develops a thermodynamic framework for feedback-controlled systems, quantifying entropy reduction and maximum work extraction, with applications to Maxwell's demons and information-driven particle pumps.

Contribution

It introduces a method to compute entropy reduction in feedback systems, filling a gap in thermodynamics of information processing and Maxwell's demon models.

Findings

Derived maximum work extractable from feedback systems.

Quantified entropy reduction due to feedback control.

Analyzed a particle pump driven by information.

Abstract

We compute the entropy reduction in feedback controlled systems due to the repeated operation of the controller. This was the lacking ingredient to establish the thermodynamics of these systems, and in particular of Maxwell's demons. We illustrate some of the consequences of our general results by deriving the maximum work that can be extracted from isothermal feedback controlled systems. As a case example, we finally study a simple system that performs an isothermal information-fueled particle pumping.