Thermodynamic Analysis of Non-Ergodic and Asymmetric Dimension

We report an interesting Monte Carlo simulation result of a Billiard-type model system, wherein two larger ergodic areas are separated by a small non-ergodic barrier. The two ergodic areas have different heights in a gravitational field. In-plane pressure does work to the lower “plain” when the plain area varies, and gravitational force does work to the upper “plateau” when the plateau height changes. The steady-state is defined by the macroscopic variables measured from the system surface. The simulation results indicate that the particle density ratio spontaneously follows a non-Boltzmann distribution and remarkably, in an isothermal cycle the produced work is significantly greater than the consumed work. The non-ergodic barrier, referred to as the non-ergodic and asymmetric dimension (NEAD), is not “Maxwell’s demon”. Its operation does not require detailed knowledge of system microstate. The particle motion is unmonitored, unforced, and random. The explanation of the system performance should be unrelated to the physical nature of information. The concept of NEAD is also being investigated experimentally, through the measurement of the cross-influence of chemical potential and electric potential of large ions confined in small nanopores.