articleReviews of Modern PhysicsJan 6, 2009GREEN OA

Colloquium : The physics of Maxwell’s demon and information

KMKoji MaruyamaFNFranco NoriVVVlatko Vedral

Japan Science and Technology Agency · RIKEN · +3 more institutions

Indexed inarxivcrossref

Abstract

Maxwell's demon was born in 1867 and still thrives in modern physics. He plays important roles in clarifying the connections between two theories: thermodynamics and information. Here the history of the demon and a variety of interesting consequences of the second law of thermodynamics are presented, mainly in quantum mechanics, but also in the theory of gravity. Also highlighted are some of the recent work that explores the role of information, illuminated by Maxwell's demon, in the arena of quantum-information theory.

Citation impact

618
total citations
FWCI
20.78
Percentile
100%
References
103
Citations per year

Authors

3

Topics & keywords

Topics
Keywords
  • Maxwell's demon
  • Demon
  • Physics
  • Theoretical physics
  • Classical physics
  • Modern physics
  • Epistemology
  • Quantum
UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Peace, Justice and strong institutions
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