# The influence of measurement error on Maxwell's demon

## TL;DR

This paper examines how measurement errors affect the thermodynamics of Maxwell's demon, especially in the context of a single-electron box Szilard engine, and identifies optimal protocols and power limits.

## Contribution

It analyzes the impact of measurement error on entropy and feedback control, deriving optimal cycle protocols and maximum power for a realistic single-electron engine.

## Key findings

- Measurement error reduces information gain and increases entropy production.
- Optimal cycle protocols depend on error rate and power requirements.
- There exists a maximum achievable power for the engine.

## Abstract

In any general cycle of measurement, feedback and erasure, the measurement will reduce the entropy of the system when information about the state is obtained, while erasure, according to Landauer's principle, is accompanied by a corresponding increase in entropy due to the compression of logical and physical phase space. The total process can in principle be fully reversible. A measurement error reduces the information obtained and the entropy decrease in the system. The erasure still gives the same increase in entropy and the total process is irreversible. Another consequence of measurement error is that a bad feedback is applied, which further increases the entropy production if the proper protocol adapted to the expected error rate is not applied. We consider the effect of measurement error on a realistic single-electron box Szilard engine. We find the optimal protocol for the cycle as a function of the desired power $P$ and error $\epsilon$, as well as the existence of a maximal power $P^{\max}$.