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Thermodynamic selection: mechanisms and scenarios.
S G Babajanyan1,2, E V Koonin1, A E Allahverdyan2,3
1National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
New Journal of Physics
|February 13, 2023
Summary
Thermodynamic selection explains indirect competition between agents using energy resources. Different strategies, like maximum power or efficiency, influence agent fitness and work-extraction efficiency, with adaptation playing a key role.
Area of Science:
- Thermodynamics
- Evolutionary Biology
- Game Theory
Background:
- Thermodynamic selection is an indirect competition among agents utilizing the same energy resources.
- Agents are modeled as heat engines interacting with thermal baths, extracting work.
- Agents employ various game-theoretical strategies for work extraction, such as maximizing power or efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine scenarios of thermodynamic selection.
- To investigate the impact of different work-extraction strategies on agent fitness.
- To explore the emergence of game-theory and ecological concepts from thermodynamic competition.
Main Methods:
- Modeling agents as heat engines coupled to thermal baths.
- Analyzing scenarios with infinite and finite energy resources.
- Applying game-theoretical and ecological concepts to thermodynamic systems.
Main Results:
- Agent fitness depends on whether the energy resource is infinite (work-power) or finite (total work).
- Selection scenarios lead to either increasing or decreasing work-extraction efficiencies.
- Concepts like the prisoner's dilemma and maximal power principle emerge from competition.
Conclusions:
- Thermodynamic selection provides a framework for understanding competition in biological and physical systems.
- Adaptation is crucial for developing efficient work-extraction mechanisms in competing agents.
- The study bridges concepts from thermodynamics, game theory, and ecology.
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