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Achievable Information-Energy Exchange in a Brownian Information Engine through Potential Profiling
Rafna Rafeek1, Debasish Mondal1
1Department of Chemistry and Center for Molecular and Optical Sciences and Technologies, Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati, Yerpedu 517619, Andhra Pradesh, India.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B
|March 6, 2025
Summary
This study explores how potential shaping impacts Brownian information engines (BIEs) that extract work from heat. Concave potentials enhance energy harvesting, and multistable potentials yield greater energy than monostable ones.
Area of Science:
- Thermodynamics
- Statistical Mechanics
- Information Theory
Background:
- Information engines extract work from heat using mutual information.
- Brownian information engines (BIEs) harness thermal fluctuations via feedback cycles.
- Potential shaping is crucial for optimizing BIE performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the effect of potential shaping on BIEs.
- Analyze how confinement influences information-energy exchange.
- Explore BIE performance in monostable, bistable, and multistable potentials.
Main Methods:
- Designed a BIE with an overdamped Brownian particle in a confined potential.
- Implemented a symmetric feedback cycle for operation.
- Analyzed work extraction based on potential shape (convex, concave, bistable, multistable).
Main Results:
- Monostable confinement efficiency depends on temperature and convexity; concave is better than convex.
- Bistable confinement shows an engine-to-refrigeration transition beyond a critical barrier height.
- Multistable potentials, utilizing concavity-induced gain, harvest more energy than monostable ones.
Conclusions:
- Potential shaping significantly impacts BIE work extraction efficiency.
- Concave potentials and multistable configurations offer enhanced energy harvesting.
- BIEs can be optimized through careful design of confining potentials for greater energy gains.
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