Research
On the relation between thermodynamic work extraction and distinguishability
Authors:
Chiara Marletto
Journal:
ArXiv
Date:
9 September 2020
DOI:
-
Affiliations:
Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford // Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore // ISI Foundation, Turin
Abstract
Assuming general principles of information theory, I show that the possibility of extracting work deterministically from a set of attributes implies that they must all be distinguishable from one another. This theorem provides an additional connection between thermodynamics and information theory, which is scale- and dynamics-independent, and goes via the law of conservation of energy. I also comment on its implications for the theory of von Neumann’s universal constructor.
Relevant Talks
David Deutsch’s interview about recent advances in constructor theory
Chiara’s talk on how to witness non-classicality of gravity
Chiara’s Nature of Physics Interview at the London HowTheLightGetsIn Festival
Chiara Marletto in “Playing Dice with the Universe” Debate at HowTheLightGetsIn 2016
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Chiara Marletto in “Science, Magic and the Inexplicable” Debate at HowTheLightGetsIn 2015
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Chiara Marletto in “Decoding the Universe” at HowTheLightGetsIn 2016
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Chiara Marletto’s course The Physics of the Possible and the Impossible
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Chiara Marletto in “The Universe Code” Debate at HowTheLightGetsIn 2015
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