Information erasure without an energy cost

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that information erasure can be achieved without energy expenditure by compensating with a conserved quantity like angular momentum, challenging traditional thermodynamic limits.

Contribution

It introduces a method to erase information without energy cost by utilizing conserved quantities, offering a new perspective on thermodynamic laws.

Findings

Energy cost of erasure can be eliminated using conserved quantities.

Work can be extracted from a single thermal reservoir with angular momentum exchange.

Implications for the second law of thermodynamics are discussed.

Abstract

Landauer argued that the process of erasing the information stored in a memory device incurs an energy cost in the form of a minimum amount of mechanical work. We find, however, that this energy cost can be reduced to zero by paying a cost in angular momentum or any other conserved quantity. Erasing the memory of Maxwell's demon in this way implies that work can be extracted from a single thermal reservoir at a cost of angular momentum and an increase in total entropy. The implications of this for the second law of thermodynamics are assessed.