Colloquium
Department of Physics, NCU
Nano-size information engines
Speaker
Prof. Pak, Hyuk-Kyu
Center for Soft and Living Matter, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Korea
Department of Physics, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Korea
Date 2018.10.02 (Tue)
Time 14:00-16:00
Place S4-625
As the size of system becomes small, thermal fluctuations in both equilibrium and nonequilibrium conditions become significant. During the last two decades, there has been great advance in understanding nonequilibrium thermodynamics, especially in nonequilibrium fluctuations and information thermodynamics of small systems. Information thermodynamics examines the interplay between information and thermodynamics, and the entropic and energy costs of manipulating information. When information is involved in an isothermal thermodynamic process, the second law of thermodynamics is modified. I will review the various aspects of the thermodynamics in small systems. Especially I will talk about two experimental examples: an experimentally demonstrated nearly error-free information engine (or a “Maxwell’s demon”) which converts nearly all available information from fluctuations of the surrounding into work and an information-driven Brownian motor, which can greatly enhance the directed motion of the particles and extract useful work by rectification of thermal noise.