A Modified Szilard's Engine: Measurement, Information, and Maxwell's Demon

Entropy

关键词: Szilard's engine;    Maxwell's demon;    quantum measurement;    information theory;   

DOI  :  10.3390/e6010102

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Using an isolated measurement process, I've calculated the effect measurement has on entropy for the multi-cylinder Szilard engine. This calculation shows that the system of cylinders possesses an entropy associated with cylinder total energy states, and that it records information transferred at measurement. Contrary to other's results, I've found that the apparatus loses entropy due to measurement. The Second Law of Thermodynamics may be preserved if Maxwell's demon gains entropy moving the engine partition.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.