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The First Law of Thermodynamics

The First Law of Thermodynamics

The first law of thermodynamics deals with the total amount of energy in the universe. It states that this total amount of energy is constant. In other words, there has always been, and always will be, exactly the same amount of energy in the universe. Energy exists in many different forms. According to the first law of thermodynamics, energy may transfer from place to place or transform into different forms, but it cannot be created or destroyed. The transfers and transformations of energy...

Second Law of Thermodynamics

Second Law of Thermodynamics

The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that entropy, or the amount of disorder in a system, increases each time energy is transferred or transformed. Each energy transfer results in a certain amount of energy that is lost—usually in the form of heat—that increases the disorder of the surroundings. This can also be demonstrated in a classic food web. Herbivores harvest chemical energy from plants and release heat and carbon dioxide into the environment. Carnivores harvest the...

Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

The second law of thermodynamics can be stated quantitatively using the concept of entropy. Entropy is the measure of disorder of the system.
The relation between entropy and disorder can be illustrated with the example of the phase change of ice to water. In ice, the molecules are located at specific sites giving a solid state, whereas, in a liquid form, these molecules are much freer to move. The molecular arrangement has therefore become more randomized. Although the change in average...

Entropy

Entropy

The first law of thermodynamics is quantitatively formulated via an equation relating the internal energy of a system, the heat exchanged by it, and the work done on it. A quantitative formulation of the second law of thermodynamics leads to defining a state function, the entropy.
When an ideal gas expands isothermally, the disorder in the gas increases. From the molecular perspective, the gas molecules have more volume to move around in.
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Statements of the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Statements of the Second Law of Thermodynamics

The second law of thermodynamics can be stated in several different ways, and all of them can be shown to imply the others. The Clausius’ statement of the second law of thermodynamics is based on the irreversibility of spontaneous heat flow. It states that heat will not flow from the colder body to the hotter body unless some other process is involved. Additionally, as per the Kelvin’s statement, it is impossible to convert the heat from a single source into work without any other...

First Law of Thermodynamics

First Law of Thermodynamics

The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. This can be demonstrated within a classic food web where light energy from the sun is harnessed as radiant energy by plants, converted into chemical energy, and stored as complex carbohydrates. The vegetation is then consumed by animals and during the digestion process, the sugars release energy as heat. The sugars also produce chemical energy that either gets used up doing work, stored in...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 26, 2025

Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators

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Dynamical Landauer Principle: Quantifying Information Transmission by Thermodynamics.

Chung-Yun Hsieh¹

¹ICFO-Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, University of Bristol, H. H. Wills Physics Laboratory, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, United Kingdom and , The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08860 Castelldefels, Spain.

Physical Review Letters

|February 21, 2025

Summary

This study reveals a fundamental link between energy transfer and information transmission. Transmitting classical bits is equivalent to specific energy tasks, quantifying communication using thermodynamics and uncovering a dynamical Landauer's principle.

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Area of Science:

Thermodynamics
Information Theory
Quantum Dynamics

Background:

Energy transfer and information transmission are fundamental natural processes.
Recent findings suggest a deep, yet undiscovered, connection between these two domains.
The study investigates whether classical information transmission can be equivalently described as energy transmission tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

To establish an analytical correspondence between classical information transmission and thermodynamic energy tasks.
To quantify classical communication processes using thermodynamic principles.
To uncover foundational links between information theory and thermodynamics.

Main Methods:

Analysis of quantum dynamics for classical communication tasks.
Formulation of energy-transmitting tasks equivalent to information transmission.
Investigation in both general and asymptotic regimes.

Main Results:

Demonstrated equivalence between transmitting n bits of classical information and n units of energy.
Established a quantitative link between information transmission and energy extraction.
Uncovered a dynamical version of Landauer's principle, highlighting the information-energy connection.

Conclusions:

Classical communication can be precisely quantified by thermodynamic tasks.
The findings reveal a strong, dynamical link between information and energy.
Thermodynamic interpretations are provided for key theorems in quantum communication theory, such as the Holevo-Schumacher-Westmoreland theorem.