Finiten
Finiten is a hypothetical material introduced in theoretical discussions of computation, information theory, and thermodynamics of computing. In these models, Finiten is described as a crystalline substance with a strictly finite local state space, which imposes a hard cap on the amount of information that can be stored in a given region and governs the energy cost of state changes. The name fuses the word finite with the common scientific ending -en.
Proposed physical properties vary by model, but most render Finiten as a wide-band-gap, highly localized electronic
Synthesis and status: Finiten has not been realized experimentally; it remains a theoretical construct used to
Applications and implications: In thought experiments, Finiten helps quantify lower bounds on energy per operation (in
See also: Landauer's principle; finite-state machine; information theory; programmable matter.