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Information Engine in a Nonequilibrium Bath
Tushar K Saha1, Jannik Ehrich1,2, Momčilo Gavrilov1
1Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6 Canada.
Physical Review Letters
|August 18, 2023
Summary
Information engines harness thermal fluctuations for work. Out-of-equilibrium baths significantly boost work extraction, showing potential for advanced energy harvesting applications.
Area of Science:
- Thermodynamics
- Statistical Mechanics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Information engines convert thermal fluctuations into work.
- Conventional engines operate with equilibrium baths.
- Nonequilibrium baths present opportunities for enhanced energy extraction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate work extraction by information engines in nonequilibrium baths.
- To quantify the enhancement in work extraction due to fluctuating external fields.
- To explore the connection between Maxwell's demon and practical energy harvesting.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a micron-scale bead in a harmonic potential as the information engine.
- Subjecting the system to a bath with a fluctuating electric field.
- Measuring work extraction rates under varying field strengths.
Main Results:
- Work extraction was significantly increased in nonequilibrium baths.
- Adding a fluctuating electric field enhanced work extraction up to tenfold.
- The enhancement was limited by the applied field strength.
Conclusions:
- Information engines in nonequilibrium baths can outperform conventional engines.
- Fluctuating fields in nonequilibrium baths offer a route to greater energy harvesting.
- This work bridges theoretical concepts like Maxwell's demon with practical energy applications.
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