Imitating Chemical Motors with Optimal Information Motors

TL;DR

This paper compares chemical and information motors, showing how feedback-based biasing differs thermodynamically from chemical energy-driven mechanisms within a unified framework.

Contribution

It introduces a unified analysis of chemical and information motors, clarifying how feedback and chemical energy differently influence thermodynamics.

Findings

Chemical and information motors exhibit distinct thermodynamic behaviors.

Feedback mechanisms can replicate chemical motor functions without chemical fuel.

The interaction between the demon and the motor is crucial for understanding their thermodynamics.

Abstract

To induce transport, detailed balance must be broken. A common mechanism is to bias the dynamics with a thermodynamic fuel, such as chemical energy. An intriguing, alternative strategy is for a Maxwell demon to effect the bias using feedback. We demonstrate that these two different mechanisms lead to distinct thermodynamics by contrasting a chemical motor and information motor with identical dynamics. To clarify this difference, we study both models within one unified framework, highlighting the role of the interaction between the demon and the motor. This analysis elucidates the manner in which information is incorporated into a physical system.