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Fundamental limits on nonequilibrium sensing
1Department of Physics #1, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. andreas.dechant@outlook.com.
Scientists developed enhanced nonequilibrium sensors using Maxwell
Area of Science:
- Thermodynamics
- Statistical Mechanics
- Sensing Technologies
Background:
- Equilibrium sensors are limited by thermodynamic laws.
- Nonequilibrium systems offer potential for enhanced sensing capabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate physical limits of nonequilibrium sensing in bipartite systems.
- Explore the role of reciprocal and nonreciprocal couplings.
- Identify mechanisms for improving sensor performance beyond equilibrium limits.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of bipartite systems with varying coupling types.
- Application of Maxwell demon concept to control subsystem fluctuations.
- Investigation of fluctuation-dissipation relation violations.
Main Results:
- Maxwell demon suppresses subsystem fluctuations, enhancing response to perturbations.
- Nonreciprocal interactions are crucial for violating the fluctuation-dissipation relation.
- Violations significantly improve signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) beyond equilibrium values.
- Arbitrarily large low-frequency SNR achievable in linear systems with optimization.
Conclusions:
- Nonequilibrium sensing, particularly with nonreciprocal interactions, enables enhanced sensor accuracy.
- Designed sensors can achieve high precision at a finite energetic cost.
- This work opens avenues for developing advanced, highly sensitive sensors.
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