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  • Open Access

A Friendly Guide to Exorcising Maxwell’s Demon

A. de Oliveira Junior1,*, Jonatan Bohr Brask1, and Rafael Chaves2,3

  • *Contact author: alexssandredeoliveira@gmail.com
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PRX Quantum 6, 030201 – Published 11 August, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/phkv-wrsd

Abstract

The birth, life, and death of Maxwell’s demon provoked a profound discussion about the interplay between thermodynamics, computation, and information. Even after its resolution, the demon continues to inspire a multidisciplinary field. This tutorial offers a comprehensive overview of Maxwell’s demon and its enduring influence, bridging classical concepts with modern insights in thermodynamics, information theory, and quantum mechanics.

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Popular Summary

Can information be turned into energy? That is the provocative question behind the long-standing puzzle of Maxwell’s demon—a fictional creature that, by watching gas molecules and sorting them by speed, seems to cheat the second law of thermodynamics and generate energy without effort. This tutorial revisits the demon’s story, from its 19th-century origins to its surprising relevance in today’s quantum technologies, and explores how it helped uncover a deep connection between thermodynamics, information, and computation.

To make sense of how information affects physical systems, one has to look again at some of the foundations of thermodynamics and quantum theory. Concepts like entropy and free energy take on new meanings when information is part of the picture. Tasks like measuring, storing, or erasing information come with a physical price—often paid as heat. What seemed like a paradox turns out to make perfect sense when these hidden costs are included. These ideas are not just theoretical: they have been tested in experiments involving single particles, photons, and even tiny magnets.

Maxwell’s demon may have started as a thought experiment, but it continues to shape real research. From feedback control in microscopic systems to limits on how efficient quantum computers can be, the demon’s legacy is everywhere. As technology pushes further into the quantum and nanoscale worlds, understanding the thermodynamics of information is not just a curiosity—it is essential for building tomorrow’s technologies.

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PRX Quantum 6, 030201– Published 11 August, 2025
  • Received 16 March 2025
  • Revised 2 June 2025
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