title: Optimal finite-time erasure of a classical bit.
abstract: Information erasure inevitably leads to the generation of heat. Minimizing this dissipation will be crucial for developing small-scale information processing systems, but little is known about the optimal procedures required. We have obtained closed-form expressions for maximally efficient erasure cycles for deletion of a classical bit of information stored by the position of a particle diffusing in a double-well potential. We find that the extra heat generated beyond the Landauer bound is proportional to the square of the Hellinger distance between the initial and final states divided by the cycle duration, which quantifies how far out of equilibrium the system is driven. Finally, we demonstrate close agreement between the exact optimal cycle and the protocol found using a linear response framework.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA and Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Zulkowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA; Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA; and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: DeWeese
mesh_terms: D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004058:Diffusion; D017276:Friction; D008956:Models, Chemical; D012212:Rheology / Q000379:methods*; D013696:Temperature; D013816:Thermodynamics; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003102:Colloids