All clocks, periodic and non-periodic, are open dissipative systems driven from thermal equilibrium so that the Helmholtz free energy is increased. In this talk I will discuss the thermodynamic constraints for classical and quantum clocks. I will also discuss clocks driven not by work but my information extraction and make a connection to Rovelli's thermal time hypothesis as a proposed solution to the problem of time in quantum gravity.

Professor Gerard Milburn's research interests are in the fields of: Quantum Information Theory, Quantum Foundations, Quantum Optics, Quantum Control and Measurement Theory. 

Gerard Milburn obtained a PhD in theoretical Physics from the University of Waikato in 1982 for work on squeezed states of light and quantum nondemolition measurements. He is currently an Emeritus Professor at the University of Queensland. Gerard Milburn is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, a Fellow of The Royal Society of London and The American Physical Society.