Optimal thermodynamic control of active matter

• Grant number: 25/00988-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: October 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - General Physics
• Principal Investigator: Marcus Vinicius Segantini Bonança
• Grantee: Caetano Ternes Coimbra
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin (IFGW). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/15453-0 - Correlated quantum materials, AP.TEM

Abstract

Groups of active particles can exhibit a series of interesting collective phenomena, such as the so-called motility-induced phases. Both theoretical and experimental advances regarding the controlled transition between these phases currently raise the question of quantifying the energy cost during this manipulation and also of optimizing it. In this project, we intend to address this problem using thermodynamically consistent microscopic stochastic models and the responses of these models to time-dependent controls. Therefore, we intend to formulate the functional that quantifies this cost and also apply optimization methods to it. We propose that these objectives apply first to the control of a single active particle and that the solution of this more elementary problem will allow us to address the more complex situation of several particles exhibiting collective phenomena.