title: Energetics of correlations in interacting systems.
abstract: A fundamental connection between thermodynamics and information theory arises from the fact that correlations exhibit an inherent work value. For noninteracting systems this translates to a work cost for establishing correlations. Here we investigate the relationship between work and correlations in the presence of interactions that cannot be controlled or removed. For such naturally coupled systems, which are correlated even in thermal equilibrium, we determine general strategies that can reduce the work cost of correlations, and illustrate these for a selection of exemplary physical systems.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstraße 21a, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Nicolai
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Friis
authors.affiliation: Group of Applied Physics, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland.|Departament de Física, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.|ICFO - Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain.
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.affiliation: ICFO - Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain.
authors.forename: Martí
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Perarnau-Llobet