Maxwell's demon in the quantum-Zeno regime and beyond

TL;DR

This paper explores the quantum implications of Maxwell's demon in a single-electron transistor, focusing on the quantum-Zeno regime and revealing optimal measurement rates and energy exchange phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a dynamical coarse-graining method to analyze quantum Maxwell's demon effects at high measurement rates, including transport blockade and energy transfer.

Findings

Optimal measurement rate for maximum demon performance

Quantum-Zeno regime causes transport blockade

Energy can be supplied to the demon during measurement

Abstract

The long-standing paradigm of Maxwell's demon is till nowadays a frequently investigated issue, which still provides interesting insights into basic physical questions. Considering a single-electron transistor, where we implement a Maxwell demon by a piecewise-constant feedback protocol, we investigate quantum implications of the Maxwell demon. To this end, we harness a dynamical coarse-graining method, which provides a convenient and accurate description of the system dynamics even for high measurement rates. In doing so, we are able to investigate the Maxwell demon in a quantum-Zeno regime leading to transport blockade. We argue that there is a measurement rate providing an optimal performance. Moreover, we find that besides building up a chemical gradient, there can be also a regime where additionally the system under consideration provides energy to the demon due to the quantum measurement.