Shortcuts to state transitions for active matter

Area of Science:

• Statistical Mechanics
• Thermodynamics
• Active Matter Physics

Background:

• Shortcut schemes accelerate processes in passive systems by facilitating swift equilibrium state transitions.
• Active systems, driven by free energy consumption, inherently move away from equilibrium, posing challenges for rapid state changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a shortcut framework for achieving swift state transitions in active systems operating in the weak activity regime.
• To minimize the thermodynamic cost associated with finite-time state transitions in active systems.

Main Methods:

• Introduced an auxiliary potential to guide the active system along a predefined distribution path for finite-time transitions.
• Derived a thermodynamic metric from dissipative work, defining a Riemannian manifold on the control parameter space.
• Identified optimal protocols as geodesic paths on this manifold, minimizing dissipative work.
• Utilized a variational method to approximate the auxiliary control for systems where analytical derivation is not feasible.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the framework's effectiveness for active systems in harmonic traps with both attractive and repulsive interactions.
• Showcased that geodesic protocols significantly reduce dissipation compared to linear protocols.
• The framework enables controlled, swift state transitions in active systems with controllable interaction strengths.

Conclusions:

• The developed shortcut framework provides an effective strategy for rapid state transitions in active systems.
• Geodesic paths derived from the Riemannian manifold minimize energy dissipation, offering a more efficient approach than linear protocols.
• The framework is adaptable, even for systems requiring approximate auxiliary controls via variational methods.