Efficiency bounds for bipartite information-driven thermodynamic systems

TL;DR

This paper develops new theoretical bounds on the entropy production and efficiency of bipartite thermodynamic systems using inequalities, validated through a quantum-dot model, advancing understanding of energy conversion limits.

Contribution

It introduces a novel inequality-based method to bound entropy production and efficiency in bipartite systems, applicable to Markovian processes, with empirical validation.

Findings

Derived lower bounds for entropy production rates.

Established bounds for system efficiency.

Validated bounds with a quantum-dot model.

Abstract

This study introduces a novel approach to derive a lower bound for the entropy production rate of a subsystem by utilizing the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality. It extends to establishing comprehensive upper and lower bounds for the efficiency of two subsystems. These bounds are applicable to a wide range of Markovian stochastic processes, which enhances the accuracy in depicting the range of energy conversion efficiency between subsystems. Empirical validation is conducted using a two-quantum-dot system model, which serves to confirm the effectiveness of our inequality in refining the boundaries of efficiency.