Subject to change...
Week | Topic | Reading Title | Reading Author | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Intro. to Physics of Computation |
Bennett Bennett |
Mon 9/30 Mon 9/30 |
|
2 |
Thermodynamics |
The laws of thermodynamics: A very short introduction Pt1 Pt2 Full Document |
Atkins |
Pt 1: Wed 10/2 Pt 2: Mon 10/7 |
3 |
Lattice Gas Automata |
Discrete Fluids You can skip the math! |
Hasslacher Moore, Nordahl |
Wed 10/9 |
4 |
Billiard Ball Model of Computation |
Rev. comp. and thermodynamics of computing (up to 5.2.3) Remainder of Rev. comp. and thermodynamics of computing |
Fredkin Feynman Feynman |
Mon 10/14 Wed 10/16 Mon 10/21 |
5 |
Reversible Computing |
Irreversibility and Heat Generation in the Computing Process |
Landauer Bennett |
Weds 10/23 Weds 10/30 |
6 |
Computational Models of Maxwell's Demon |
Maxwell's Demon, Rectifiers, and the Second Law: Computer Simulation of Smoluchowski's Trapdoor |
Skordos, Zurek Rex, Larsen |
11/4 11/6 |
7 |
(Holiday: Veteran's Day) Special guest: Tony Hey (Editor of Feynman lectures on computation and MSFT Exec VP) Other models of MD Electronics . . |
. Stories of Feynman and Computation Ratchet and Pawl Thermal agitation of electric charge in conductors Can the rectifier become a thermodynamical demon? Reversible fluctation rectifier |
. . Feynman Nyquist Brillouin Sokolov |
Mon 11/11 Wed 11/13 . . . . |
8 |
Information refrigeration Communication . |
. Minimal energy requirements in communication Signal entropy and the thermodynamics of computation |
. Landauer Gershenfeld |
. TBD TBD |
9 |
Project preparation |
|
Mon 11/25 Wed 11/27 |
|
10 |
Project presentations |
Mon 12/2 Wed 12/4 |
||
? |
Maxwell's Demon |
Kinetic theory of the dissipation of energy On the decrease of entropy in a thermodynamic system by the intervention of intelligent beings |
Thomson Szilard |
? ? |
Notes on the history of reversible computation, Bennett
LGA documentation (reflecting walls, delay example) pdf
Profile of Fredkin: Flying Solo (bad html excerpt) or pdf of complete article
Energy harvesting context: Range scaling of wirelessly powered sensor systems
All submissions for homeworks 1,2,3,4, and project progress reports. zip
Oct 30: Bennett, Thermodynamics of Computation---A Review pdf
Oct 28: Landauer, Irreversibility and Heat Generation in the Computing Process pdf
Oct 21: Feynman, Thermodynamics of Computing pdf
Oct 16: Feynman, Thermodynamics of Computing (1st half)
Oct 14: Billiard Ball Computation pdf
Oct 9: Lattice Gas Automata pdf
Oct 7: Thermodynamics 2 pdf and discussion of HW1 results pdf
Oct 2: Thermodynamics 1 & Ideal Gas Simulation pdf
Sept 30: Demons, Engines..., Information Phys. in Cartoons, Course SW Overview pdf
Sept 25: Introduction pptx pdf