Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: We develop a family of control protocols for finite-time transitions between active nonequilibrium steady states using the noise-color (correlation rate) as the sole control parameter. By reverse-engineering the second moment dynamics of an active Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, we determine the time-dependent correlation rate required to realize a prescribed evolution of the system's state. We experimentally implement these protocols with a micrometer-sized optically trapped particle coupled to an engineered active bath, demonstrating transitions substantially faster than the natural relaxation while keeping the confining potential, noise amplitude, and temperature fixed. Our approach extends engineered swift-equilibration methods to far-from-equilibrium steady states by directly controlling the temporal correlations of an active environment. We show how physical constraints impose a speed limit on finite-time transitions, while the freedom in choosing the prescribed system evolution can be exploited to eliminate control discontinuities, minimize the admissible transition time, or optimize a thermodynamic cost.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Language: English
Subfield: Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7221124802