Information driven current in a quantum Maxwell demon

Abstract

We describe a minimal model of a quantum Maxwell demon obeying Hamiltonian dynamics. The model is solved exactly, and we analyze its steady-state behavior. We find that writing information to a quantum memory induces a probability current through the demon, which is the quantum analog of the classical Maxwell demon's action. Our model offers a simple and pedagogical paradigm for investigating the thermodynamics of quantum information processing.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures; accepted for publication in Physical Review