Quantum Landauer Erasure using magnetic tunneling junctions

Abstract

Landauer's principle defines the fundamental thermodynamic limit of computation: any logically irreversible operation, such as erasing one bit of information, must dissipate at least kT ln 2 of heat. Despite its foundational role, a direct realization of the Landauer limit in a practical nanodevice has remained elusive. Here we experimentally validate quantum-consistent Landauer erasure using spin-transfer-torque magnetic tunnel junctions (STT-MTJs), the key building block of nonvolatile spintronic memory. By combining quantum-classical micromagnetic simulations with magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) and tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) measurements, we demonstrate that the dissipated energy during a quasi-adiabatic bit-reset operation converges to (4.1 ± 2.0) zJ ≈ kT ln 2. This work unites the thermodynamic and quantum pictures of information processing, providing an experimentally accessible route toward energy-reversible computation.