Active particles in moving traps: minimum work protocols and information efficiency of work extraction

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Schüttler, Janik, Garcia-Millan, Rosalba, Cates, Michael E., Loos, Sarah A. M.
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2025
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author Schüttler, Janik
Garcia-Millan, Rosalba
Cates, Michael E.
Loos, Sarah A. M.
author_facet Schüttler, Janik
Garcia-Millan, Rosalba
Cates, Michael E.
Loos, Sarah A. M.
contents We revisit the elementary problem of moving a particle in a harmonic trap in finite time with minimal work cost, and extend it to the case of an active particle. By comparing the Gaussian case of an Active Ornstein-Uhlenbeck particle and the non-Gaussian run-and-tumble particle, we establish general principles for thermodynamically optimal control of active matter beyond specific models. We show that the open-loop optimal protocols, which do not incorporate system-state information, are identical to those of passive particles but result in larger work fluctuations due to activity. In contrast, closed-loop (or feedback) control with a single (initial) measurement changes the optimal protocol and reduces the average work relative to the open-loop control for small enough measurement errors. Minimum work is achieved by particles with finite persistence time. As an application, we propose an active information engine which extracts work from self-propulsion. This periodic engine achieves higher information efficiency with run-and-tumble particles than with active Ornstein-Uhlenbeck particles. Complementing a companion paper that gives only the main results [arXiv:2407.18542], here we provide a full account of our theoretical calculations and simulation results. We include derivations of optimal protocols, work variance, impact of measurement uncertainty, and information-acquisition costs.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_18613
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Active particles in moving traps: minimum work protocols and information efficiency of work extraction
Schüttler, Janik
Garcia-Millan, Rosalba
Cates, Michael E.
Loos, Sarah A. M.
Statistical Mechanics
We revisit the elementary problem of moving a particle in a harmonic trap in finite time with minimal work cost, and extend it to the case of an active particle. By comparing the Gaussian case of an Active Ornstein-Uhlenbeck particle and the non-Gaussian run-and-tumble particle, we establish general principles for thermodynamically optimal control of active matter beyond specific models. We show that the open-loop optimal protocols, which do not incorporate system-state information, are identical to those of passive particles but result in larger work fluctuations due to activity. In contrast, closed-loop (or feedback) control with a single (initial) measurement changes the optimal protocol and reduces the average work relative to the open-loop control for small enough measurement errors. Minimum work is achieved by particles with finite persistence time. As an application, we propose an active information engine which extracts work from self-propulsion. This periodic engine achieves higher information efficiency with run-and-tumble particles than with active Ornstein-Uhlenbeck particles. Complementing a companion paper that gives only the main results [arXiv:2407.18542], here we provide a full account of our theoretical calculations and simulation results. We include derivations of optimal protocols, work variance, impact of measurement uncertainty, and information-acquisition costs.
title Active particles in moving traps: minimum work protocols and information efficiency of work extraction
topic Statistical Mechanics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.18613