Measurement-Induced Phase Transitions in Informational Active Matter

[2302.07402] Measurement-Induced Phase Transitions in Informational Active Matter Skip to main content Search Submit Donate Log in Search arXiv Press Enter to search · Advanced search Condensed Matter > Soft Condensed Matter arXiv:2302.07402 (cond-mat) [Submitted on 14 Feb 2023 ( v1 ), last revised 23 Jan 2026 (this version, v3)] Title: Measurement-Induced Phase Transitions in Informational Active Matter Authors: Bryan VanSaders , Michel Fruchart , Vincenzo Vitelli View a PDF of the paper titled Measurement-Induced Phase Transitions in Informational Active Matter, by Bryan VanSaders and 1 other authors View PDF HTML (experimental) Abstract: Various biological and synthetic media out of equilibrium can be viewed as many-ratchet systems that rectify environmental noise through local measurements and information processing, like in Maxwell's prototypical demon. These systems pose a challenge to standard coarse-graining 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 subject to measurements. Using a combination of information-theoretic, kinetic, and hydrodynamic tools, we elucidate how microscopic decision-making protocols, rather than microscopic forces, generate macroscopic active states sustained by continuous measurements. These include an informational version of flocking whose order parameter is bounded by the information measured, and the onset of which may be viewed as a measurement-induced phase transition. We find that the signature of such microscopic choices is an `informational activity' that selectively compresses phase space, without work, and causes deviations from equilibrium scaling with the magnitude of environmental noise. We envision applications to noise-induced patterning performed by collections of microrobots guided by reinforcement learning or programmable phoretic colloids in turbulent flows that exploit local measurements and control actions to counteract the scrambling of information by chaos. Subjects: Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) Cite as: arXiv:2302.07402 [cond-mat.soft] (or arXiv:2302.07402v3 [cond-mat.soft] for this version) https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2302.07402 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite Related DOI : https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgag077 Focus to learn more DOI(s) linking to related resources Submission history From: Bryan VanSaders [ view email ] [v1] Tue, 14 Feb 2023 23:58:03 UTC (14,348 KB) [v2] Thu, 9 Jan 2025 21:44:45 UTC (17,615 KB) [v3] Fri, 23 Jan 2026 17:04:52 UTC (17,581 KB) Full-text links: Access Paper: View a PDF of the paper titled Measurement-Induced Phase Transitions in Informational Active Matter, by Bryan VanSaders and 1 other authors View PDF HTML (experimental) TeX Source view license Current browse context: cond-mat.soft < prev | next > new | recent | 2023-02 Change to browse by: cond-mat References & Citations NASA ADS Google Scholar Semantic Scholar export BibTeX citation Loading... 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