Small Systems, Smart Strategies – Energy Optimization through Stochastic Thermodynamics
Speaker: Dr. Sarah A.M. Loos
Research Fellow, University of Cambridge
When: April, 10, 2025 | 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Location: CEME Building, room 1203 (6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver)
Zoom: https://ubc.zoom.us/j/97206574075?pwd=b0tpc3czNmV0YmJ5dUhmcGwya0RjZz09
This talk is part of the Structural Matter Seminar Series.
Abstract:
The framework of stochastic thermodynamics allows us to study the thermodynamic properties of microscale systems subject to thermal and non-thermal noise. We explore fundamental principles of control strategies that transition a system from one state to another in the most energy efficient way. As a canonical example, I will discuss the problem of dragging a harmonic trap containing a particle over a finite distance in a finite time while minimizing the work input. Here, we show that the optimal dragging protocol and the corresponding mean particle trajectory both exhibit time-reversal symmetry, which we identify as a universal and exclusive feature of optimal solutions.
Biography:
Sarah A.M. Loos is a research fellow at the University of Cambridge, and is now starting a group at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organisation in Göttingen. Her research focusses on thermodynamic notions of fluctuating non-equilibrium systems. Loos is particularly interested in the irreversible dynamics of systems that are driven on microscopic scales, such as living or synthetic active matter.