# Autonomous conversion of information to work in quantum dots

## TL;DR

This paper explores an autonomous quantum dot system implementing Maxwell's demon, analyzing information-to-work conversion through fluctuation relations and thermodynamic inequalities, revealing novel fluctuation relations and entropic costs associated with breaking detailed balance.

## Contribution

It introduces a new fluctuation relation based on electron-level time-reversal and links information thermodynamics with quantum dot dynamics, providing insights into entropic costs.

## Key findings

- Discovery of a novel fluctuation relation not tied to symmetry of heat and particle flow.
- Identification that the entropic cost of perfect measurement diverges, while breaking detailed balance does not.
- Connection of theoretical approaches with experimental feasibility using current technology.

## Abstract

We consider an autonomous implementation of Maxwell's demon in a quantum dot architecture. As in the original thought experiment, only the second law of thermodynamics is seemingly violated when disregarding the demon. The autonomous architecture allows us to compare descriptions in terms of information to a more traditional, thermoelectric characterization. Our detailed investigation of information-to-work conversion is based on fluctuation relations and second law like inequalities in addition to the average heat and charge currents. By introducing a time-reversal on the level of individual electrons, we find a novel fluctuation relation that is not connected to any symmetry of the moment generating function of heat and particle flows. Furthermore, we show how an effective Markovian master equation with broken detailed balance for the system alone can emerge from a full description, allowing for an investigation of the entropic cost associated to breaking detailed balance. Interestingly, while the entropic cost of performing a perfect measurement diverges, the entropic cost of breaking detailed balance does not. Our results connect various approaches and idealized scenarios found in the literature and can be tested experimentally with present day technology.