Thermodynamic geometric control of active matter

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Thermodynamics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Active matter systems are nonequilibrium and dissipate energy for directed motion.
• Controlling active matter is crucial for applications like molecular motors and drug delivery.
• Minimizing energy cost in active matter control is challenging due to its nonequilibrium nature.

Purpose of the Study:

• Extend thermodynamic geometry to active systems.
• Develop a geometric framework for minimizing energy cost in active matter with interparticle interactions.
• Design optimal control protocols for active matter.

Main Methods:

• Extended thermodynamic geometry to active systems.
• Derived a cost metric defining a Riemannian manifold for control parameters.
• Applied geometric tools to design optimal control protocols.

Main Results:

• Identified a universal trade-off scaling relation for minimizing energy cost in active systems.
• Found an optimal transportation speed coinciding with active Brownian particle self-propulsion speed.
• Derived an optimal protocol duration consistent with prior expectations for active matter.

Conclusions:

• The geometric framework provides a novel approach to controlling active matter with minimal energy cost.
• The findings offer fundamental insights into the thermodynamics of active systems.
• The approach is demonstrated by optimizing an active monothermal engine.