What role does the third law of thermodynamics play in Szilard engines?

TL;DR

This paper explores how the third law of thermodynamics influences the entropy production and work extraction in Szilard engines, especially considering ground state degeneracy and different particle types.

Contribution

It analyzes the impact of ground state degeneracy and particle statistics on entropy production in Szilard engines at low temperatures.

Findings

Non-degenerate ground states lead to vanishing entropy production as temperature approaches zero.

Degenerate ground states cause residual entropy and non-zero entropy production at zero temperature.

Different particle types and interactions affect the entropy behavior in Szilard engines.

Abstract

The role of the third law of thermodynamics in the Szilard engine has been addressed. If the ground state is non-degenerate, the entropy production defined as the work extractable from the engine divided by temperature vanishes as temperature approaches zero due to the third law. The degenerate ground state induced by the symmetry or by accidence gives rise to non-zero entropy production at zero temperature associated with the residual entropy. Various physical situations such as the SZE consisting of bosons or fermions either with or without interaction have been investigated.