Frenetic steering: Nonequilibrium-enabled navigation

Area of Science:

• Nonlinear dynamics
• Statistical mechanics
• Complex systems

Background:

• Controlling slow degrees of freedom in complex systems is challenging.
• Existing methods often lack precision or broad applicability.
• Understanding emergent behaviors in driven systems is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel strategy for steering slow degrees of freedom.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of this control method.
• To explore potential applications in physics and biology.

Main Methods:

• Coupling slow degrees of freedom to driven components.
• Manipulating time-symmetric reactivities of these components.
• Analyzing emergent dynamics using examples like the van der Pol oscillator and Lorenz system.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated successful steering of slow dynamics.
• Observed emergence of nonlinear limit cycles and strange attractors.
• Showcased the effect of tuning 'frenesy' (driving intensity) on system behavior.

Conclusions:

• The proposed strategy offers a feasible method for controlling slow variables in driven systems.
• Frenetic control provides a powerful tool for generating complex dynamics.
• This approach may offer insights into biological self-organization and functioning.