Informational active matter (2302.07402v2)
Abstract: Many biological and synthetic systems out of equilibrium can be viewed as ratchets that rectify environmental noise through measurements and information processing, like in Maxwell's prototypical demon. These systems pose a challenge to standard approaches because they are better described in terms of decision-making protocols similar to computer programs rather than force laws. Here, we study a many-body generalization of the Maxwell demon problem: a fluid composed of adaptive particles that achieve collective behavior by biasing noise-driven scattering events. Using a combination of information-theoretic, kinetic, and hydrodynamic tools, we elucidate how microscopic decision-making protocols, rather than microscopic forces, generate upon coarse-graining macroscopic non-equilibrium states such as flocking. We find that the signature of such microscopic choices is an 'informational activity' that selectively compresses phase space and causes departures from equilibrium scaling with the magnitude of environmental noise. We envision applications to noise-induced patterning performed by collections of microrobots or programmable phoretic colloids that exploit, rather than fight, fluctuating fields.
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