Trajectory control using an information engine

Abstract

We have built an information engine that can transport a bead in a desired direction by using favorable fluctuations from the thermal bath. However, in its original formulation, the information engine generates a fluctuating velocity and cannot control the position of the bead. Here, we introduce a feedback algorithm that can control the bead's position, to follow a desired trajectory. The bead can track the path if the maximum desired velocity is below the engine's maximum average velocity. Measuring the range of frequency that the feedback algorithm can track, we find a bandwidth that is slightly lower than the corner frequency of the bead in the trap.