Stochastic thermodynamics with information reservoirs

TL;DR

This paper extends stochastic thermodynamics to include information reservoirs, deriving new inequalities and fluctuation theorems that account for information processing, and analyzing the efficiency of machines powered by such reservoirs.

Contribution

It introduces a generalized framework for stochastic thermodynamics with information reservoirs, including new inequalities, fluctuation theorems, and efficiency analyses.

Findings

Work extraction enabled by information reservoirs.

Derived a generalized second law with information processing.

Efficiency at maximum power can differ from 1/2 in information-powered machines.

Abstract

We generalize stochastic thermodynamics to include information reservoirs. Such information reservoirs, which can be modeled as a sequence of bits, modify the second law. For example, work extraction from a system in contact with a single heat bath becomes possible if the system also interacts with an information reservoir. We obtain an inequality, and the corresponding fluctuation theorem, generalizing the standard entropy production of stochastic thermodynamics. From this inequality we can derive an information processing entropy production, which gives the second law in the presence of information reservoirs. We also develop a systematic linear response theory for information processing machines. For a unicyclic machine powered by an information reservoir, the efficiency at maximum power can deviate from the standard value of 1/2. For the case where energy is consumed to erase the tape, the efficiency at maximum erasure rate is found to be 1/2.