Accessible information in molecular-scale systems: physical limits at small sampling volumes

Neal G. Anderson

doi:10.1117/12.609459

23 May 2005 Accessible information in molecular-scale systems: physical limits at small sampling volumes (Invited Paper)

Neal G. Anderson

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 5846, Noise and Information in Nanoelectronics, Sensors, and Standards III; (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.609459
Event: SPIE Third International Symposium on Fluctuations and Noise, 2005, Austin, Texas, United States

Abstract

We consider fundamental limits on information acquisition from localized regions of molecular-scale electronic systems. Our approach is based on a quantitative measure we call the volume accessible information, defined as the (Shannon) mutual information associated with the best possible quantum measurement that can access a system through a specified readout volume. Using results and techniques from quantum measurement theory, we obtain a general expression for an upper bound on the volume accessible information that depends only on the manner in which information is encoded in electron states and specification of the readout volume. An illustrative study of a model tight-binding system indeed reveals that the volume accessible information is sharply reduced at small sampling volumes, where the state distinguishability required for reliable information extraction is diminished.

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Neal G. Anderson "Accessible information in molecular-scale systems: physical limits at small sampling volumes (Invited Paper)", Proc. SPIE 5846, Noise and Information in Nanoelectronics, Sensors, and Standards III, (23 May 2005); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.609459

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