Maximizing the amount of work harvested from an environment is important for a wide variety of biological and technological processes, from energy-harvesting processes such as photosynthesis to energy storage systems such as fuels and batteries. Here, we consider the maximization of free energy—and by extension, the maximum extractable work—that can be gained by a classical or quantum system that undergoes driving by its environment. We consider how the free energy gain depends on the initial state of the system while also accounting for the cost of preparing the system. We provide simple necessary and sufficient conditions for increasing the gain of free energy by varying the initial state. We also derive simple formulae that relate the free energy gained using the optimal initial state rather than another suboptimal initial state. Finally, we demonstrate that the problem of finding the optimal initial state may have two distinct regimes, one easy and...

„Een kernbom”, zo noemt D66-Kamerlid Hans Vijlbrief het plan van NSC en BBB om pensioenfondsdeelnemers alsnog via een referendum te laten stemmen of ze eigenlijk wel over willen naar het pas ingevoerd...

In een half jaar tijd zijn Nederlanders nog negatiever geworden over asielzoekers, blijkt uit onderzoek in opdracht van de Volkskrant. En bijna de helft van de kiezers wil weer grenscontroles binnen d...