Irreversibility and Heat Generation in the Computing Process
The work
| Title | Irreversibility and Heat Generation in the Computing Process |
|---|---|
| Authors | Rolf Landauer |
| Type | article |
| Year | 1961 |
| Citekey | landauer1961irreversibility |
Where it appeared
| Published in | IBM Journal of Research and Development |
|---|---|
| Publisher | IBM |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 183--191 |
Identifiers
| DOI | 10.1147/rd.53.0183 |
|---|---|
| OpenAlex | W4233798822 |
Access
| Landing page | https://doi.org/10.1147/rd.53.0183 |
|---|
Abstract
It is argued that computing machines inevitably involve devices which perform logical functions that do not have a single-valued inverse. This logical irreversibility is associated with physical irreversibility and requires a minimal heat generation, per machine cycle, typically of the order of kT for each irreversible function. This dissipation serves the purpose of standardizing signals and making them independent of their exact logical history. Two simple, but representative, models of bistable devices are subjected to a more detailed analysis of switching kinetics to yield the relationship between speed and energy dissipation, and to estimate the effects of errors induced by thermal fluctuations.
Where this came from
| How it got here | the agent went looking · found via openalex |
|---|---|
| First seen | 2026-08-05 |
| Standing | endorsed |
| Approved | 2026-08-05 |
Cite it as
@article{landauer1961irreversibility,
title = {Irreversibility and Heat Generation in the Computing Process},
author = {Rolf Landauer},
year = {1961},
journal = {IBM Journal of Research and Development},
volume = {5},
number = {3},
pages = {183--191},
publisher = {IBM},
doi = {10.1147/rd.53.0183},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1147/rd.53.0183},
}
This record lives at https://refs.drheap.org/landauer1961irreversibility/ and will keep doing so.