Maxwell's demon across the quantum-to-classical transition

TL;DR

This paper explores how a Maxwell's demon can operate across the quantum-to-classical transition by continuously measuring a double quantum dot system, revealing effects like quantum coherence suppression and the Zeno effect, with implications for quantum control.

Contribution

It presents a unified study of Maxwell's demon functioning in both quantum and classical regimes through continuous measurement and feedback in a double quantum dot system.

Findings

Quantum coherence builds up under weak measurement conditions.

Strong measurements suppress coherence and induce a Zeno effect.

Measurement errors cause fluctuations and dephasing in the system.

Abstract

In scenarios coined Maxwell's demon, information on microscopic degrees of freedom is used to seemingly violate the second law of thermodynamics. This has been studied in the classical as well as the quantum domain. In this paper, we study an implementation of Maxwell's demon that can operate in both domains. In particular, we investigate information-to-work conversion over the quantum-to-classical transition. The demon continuously measures the charge state of a double quantum dot, and uses this information to guide electrons against a voltage bias by tuning the on-site energies of the dots. Coherent tunneling between the dots allows for the buildup of quantum coherence in the system. Under strong measurements, the coherence is suppressed, and the system is well-described by a classical model. As the measurement strength is further increased, the Zeno effect prohibits interdot tunneling. A Zeno-like effect is also observed for weak measurements, where measurement errors lead to fluctuations in the on-site energies, dephasing the system. We anticipate similar behaviors in other quantum systems under continuous measurement and feedback control, making our results relevant for implementations in quantum technology and quantum control.