The Demon in a Vacuum Tube
In the present paper, several issues concerning the second law of thermodynamics, Maxwell’s demon and Landauer’s principle are dealt with. I argue that if the demon and the system on which it operates without dissipation of external energy are made of atoms and molecules (gas, liquid or solid) in th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2013-05-01
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| Series: | Entropy |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/5/1916 |
| _version_ | 1811303645056073728 |
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| author | Germano D'Abramo |
| author_facet | Germano D'Abramo |
| author_sort | Germano D'Abramo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the present paper, several issues concerning the second law of thermodynamics, Maxwell’s demon and Landauer’s principle are dealt with. I argue that if the demon and the system on which it operates without dissipation of external energy are made of atoms and molecules (gas, liquid or solid) in thermal equilibrium (whose behaviour is described by a canonical distribution), then the unavoidable reason why the demon cannot successfully operate resides in the ubiquity of thermal fluctuations and friction. Landauer’s principle appears to be unnecessary. I also suggest that if the behaviour of the demon and the system on which it acts is not always describable by a canonical distribution, as would happen for instance with the ballistic motion of electrons at early stages of thermionic emission, then a successful working demon cannot be ruled out a priori. A critical review of two recent experiments on thermionic emission Maxwell’s demons is also given. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T07:51:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d4e0bea1b013456db856a42d11af1915 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1099-4300 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T07:51:25Z |
| publishDate | 2013-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Entropy |
| spelling | doaj.art-d4e0bea1b013456db856a42d11af19152022-12-22T02:55:31ZengMDPI AGEntropy1099-43002013-05-011551916192810.3390/e15051916The Demon in a Vacuum TubeGermano D'AbramoIn the present paper, several issues concerning the second law of thermodynamics, Maxwell’s demon and Landauer’s principle are dealt with. I argue that if the demon and the system on which it operates without dissipation of external energy are made of atoms and molecules (gas, liquid or solid) in thermal equilibrium (whose behaviour is described by a canonical distribution), then the unavoidable reason why the demon cannot successfully operate resides in the ubiquity of thermal fluctuations and friction. Landauer’s principle appears to be unnecessary. I also suggest that if the behaviour of the demon and the system on which it acts is not always describable by a canonical distribution, as would happen for instance with the ballistic motion of electrons at early stages of thermionic emission, then a successful working demon cannot be ruled out a priori. A critical review of two recent experiments on thermionic emission Maxwell’s demons is also given.http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/5/1916second law of thermodynamicsMaxwell's demonLandauer's principleSzilard's enginethermionic emissionvacuum tubecontact potentialFu's experiment |
| spellingShingle | Germano D'Abramo The Demon in a Vacuum Tube Entropy second law of thermodynamics Maxwell's demon Landauer's principle Szilard's engine thermionic emission vacuum tube contact potential Fu's experiment |
| title | The Demon in a Vacuum Tube |
| title_full | The Demon in a Vacuum Tube |
| title_fullStr | The Demon in a Vacuum Tube |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Demon in a Vacuum Tube |
| title_short | The Demon in a Vacuum Tube |
| title_sort | demon in a vacuum tube |
| topic | second law of thermodynamics Maxwell's demon Landauer's principle Szilard's engine thermionic emission vacuum tube contact potential Fu's experiment |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/5/1916 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT germanod039abramo thedemoninavacuumtube AT germanod039abramo demoninavacuumtube |