Optimal control of transitions between nonequilibrium steady states

TL;DR

This paper extends a geometrical framework to optimize transitions between nonequilibrium steady states in biological and artificial systems, demonstrating reduced energy costs through optimal protocols.

Contribution

It introduces a method to determine optimal control protocols for systems transitioning between nonequilibrium steady states using the Hatano-Sasa Y-value.

Findings

Optimal protocols significantly reduce energy expenditure compared to naive protocols.

Numerical verification confirms the effectiveness of the proposed optimal control strategies.

Predictions can be tested experimentally in colloidal systems.

Abstract

Biological systems fundamentally exist out of equilibrium in order to preserve organized structures and processes. Many changing cellular conditions can be represented as transitions between nonequilibrium steady states, and organisms have an interest in optimizing such transitions. Using the Hatano-Sasa Y-value, we extend a recently developed geometrical framework for determining optimal protocols so that it can be applied to systems driven from nonequilibrium steady states. We calculate and numerically verify optimal protocols for a colloidal particle dragged through solution by a translating optical trap with two controllable parameters. We offer experimental predictions, specifically that optimal protocols are significantly less costly than naive ones. Optimal protocols similar to these may ultimately point to design principles for biological energy transduction systems and guide the design of artificial molecular machines.