Related papers: Optimal driving protocols for nano-sized devices a…
Optimal processes in stochastic thermodynamics are a frontier for understanding the control and design of non-equilibrium systems, with broad practical applications in biology, chemistry, and nanoscale/mesoscale systems. Optimal mass…
We investigate the finite time thermodynamics of a single-level fermion system interacting with a thermal reservoir through a tunneling junction. The optimal protocol to extract the maximum work from the system when moving the single energy…
For a small system like a colloidal particle or a single biomolecule embedded in a heat bath, the optimal protocol of an external control parameter minimizes the mean work required to drive the system from one given equilibrium state to…
The optimization of the conversion of thermal energy into work and the minimization of dissipation for nano- and mesoscopic systems is a complex challenge because of the important role fluctuations play on the dynamics of small systems. We…
Transferring a physical system from an initial to a final state while minimizing energetic losses is an interdisciplinary control problem that bridges stochastic thermodynamics and optimal transport theory. Recent research typically…
Physical systems driven away from equilibrium by an external controller dissipate heat to the environment; the excess entropy production in the thermal reservoir can be interpreted as a "cost" to transform the system in a finite time. The…
Recent studies have explored finite-time dissipation-minimizing protocols for stochastic thermodynamic systems driven arbitrarily far from equilibrium, when granted full external control to drive the system. However, in both simulation and…
Optimal control is a central problem in quantum thermodynamics. When minimizing dissipated work and work fluctuations defined via the two-point measurement scheme in open quantum systems, existing approaches largely focus on the rapid- and…
We review recent progress in optimal control in stochastic thermodynamics. Theoretical advances provide in-depth insight into minimum-dissipation control with either full or limited (parametric) control, and spanning the limits from slow to…
Asking for the optimal protocol of an external control parameter that minimizes the mean work required to drive a nano-scale system from one equilibrium state to another in finite time, Schmiedl and Seifert ({\it Phys. Rev. Lett.} {\bf 98},…
Quantifying energy flows at nanometer scales promises to guide future research in a variety of disciplines, from microscopic control and manipulation, to autonomously operating molecular machines. A general understanding of the…
Controlling the evolution of nonequilibrium systems to minimize dissipated heat or work is a key goal for designing nanodevices, both in nanotechnology and biology. Progress in computing optimal protocols has thus far been limited to either…
Optimal control theory deals with finding protocols to steer a system between assigned initial and final states, such that a trajectory-dependent cost function is minimized. The application of optimal control to stochastic systems is an…
Micro- and nano-scale systems driven by rapid changes in control parameters (control protocols) dissipate significant energy. In the fast-protocol limit, we find that protocols that minimize dissipation at fixed duration are universally…
Thermodynamics of small systems has become an important field of statistical physics. They are driven out of equilibrium by a control, and the question is naturally posed how such a control can be optimized. We show that optimization…
For systems in an externally controllable time-dependent potential, the optimal protocol minimizes the mean work spent in a finite-time transition between two given equilibrium states. For overdamped dynamics which ignores inertia effects,…
The realization of efficient micro-machines built from active matter requires precise thermodynamic control far from equilibrium. Despite theoretical progress, the focus on single-parameter driving, coupled with strict theoretical…
A central goal of thermodynamics is to identify optimal processes during which the least amount of energy is dissipated into the environment. Generally, even for simple systems, such as the parametric harmonic oscillator, optimal control…
Optimizing the energy efficiency of driving processes provides valuable insights into the underlying physics and is of crucial importance for numerous applications, from biological processes to the design of machines and robots. Knowledge…
The investigation of optimal processes has a long history in the field of thermodynamics. It is well known that finite-time processes that minimize dissipation often exhibit discontinuities. We use a combination of numerical and analytical…