Generalized Jarzynski Equality under Nonequilibrium Feedback Control

TL;DR

This paper extends the Jarzynski equality to include feedback control in nonequilibrium systems, linking information gained from measurements to thermodynamic work and fluctuations, with experimental implications.

Contribution

It introduces a generalized Jarzynski equality incorporating feedback and mutual information, advancing the understanding of thermodynamics with information feedback.

Findings

Derived a generalized fluctuation-dissipation theorem including information terms.

Proposed an 'information ratchet' model demonstrating directed transport and work extraction.

Results are experimentally testable in small thermodynamic systems.

Abstract

The Jarzynski equality is generalized to situations in which nonequilibrium systems are subject to a feedback control. The new terms that arise as a consequence of the feedback describe the mutual information content obtained by measurement and the efficacy of the feedback control. Our results lead to a generalized fluctuation-dissipation theorem that reflects the readout information, and can be experimentally tested using small thermodynamic systems. We illustrate our general results by an introducing "information ratchet," which can transport a Brownian particle in one direction and extract a positive work from the particle.