Thermally driven two-sphere microswimmer with internal feedback control

Abstract

We discuss the locomotion of a thermally driven elastic two-sphere microswimmer with internal feedback control that is realized by the position-dependent friction coefficients. In our model, the two spheres are in equilibrium with independent heat baths having different temperatures, causing a heat flow between the two spheres. We generally show that the average velocity of the microswimmer is nonzero when the friction coefficients are position-dependent. Using the method of stochastic thermodynamics, we obtain the entropy production rate and discuss the efficiency of the two-sphere microswimmer. The proposed self-propulsion mechanism highlights the importance of information in active matter and can be a fundamental process in various biological systems.