Landauer's Principle

Landauer’s principle claims that there is a thermodynamic cost to resetting, or erasing, information. This forges a connection between logical and thermodynamic irreversibility that some say gives rise to a new field – ‘the thermodynamics of computation’ – and that others denounce as heresy. This workshop brings together physicists and philosophers to see what new light can be shed on Landauer’s principle. 

Who? All welcome, but please email [email protected] to confirm your attendance for catering purposes. 

Schedule

9.30-10.00 Katie Robertson (University of Birmingham) – Welcome + Introduction

10.00-11.15 Orly Shenker (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) – “Landauer’s Principle: What exactly does it say?”

11.15 Coffee

11.30-12.45 Wayne Myrvold (University of Western Ontario) – “Shakin’ all over: proving Landauer’s Principle without neglect of fluctuations.”

12.45-2.15 Lunch 

2.15-3.30 Tony Short – “Landauer’s principle in quantum thermodynamics.”

3.30-3.45 Coffee

3.45-5.00 Sam Fletcher (University of Minnesota)- “Reversible computation undermines and vindicates Landauer’s Principle.”

5.00 – James Ladyman (University of Bristol) – Closing comments 

7.30pm Dinner 

Thank you to the Leverhulme Trust and European Research Council, who have funded this workshop through an Early Career Grant, and the project A Framework for Metaphysical Explanation in Physics (FraMEPhys), which received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 757295)