Entropy production and thermodynamic inference for stochastic microswimmers

TL;DR

This paper investigates the non-equilibrium behavior of stochastic microswimmers, revealing complex interactions between chemical and hydrodynamic factors, and proposes a new method to infer microscopic chemical forces from entropy production data.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to characterize non-equilibrium activity and infer chemical driving forces in microswimmers using stochastic thermodynamics.

Findings

Entropy production rate reveals complex chemical-hydrodynamic interplay.

A new protocol allows experimental inference of chemical driving forces.

Highlights subtleties in stochastic thermodynamics of autonomous microswimmers.

Abstract

The question of characterization of the degree of non-equilibrium activity in active matter systems is studied in the context of a stochastic microswimmer model driven by a chemical cycle. The resulting dynamical properties and entropy production rate unravel a complex interplay between the chemical and the hydrodynamic degrees of freedom beyond linear response, which is not captured by conventional phenomenological approaches. By studying the precision-dissipation trade-off, a new protocol is proposed in which microscopic chemical driving forces can be inferred experimentally. Our findings highlight subtleties associated with the stochastic thermodynamics of autonomous microswimmers.