Optimal power extraction from active particles with hidden states

Abstract: We identify generic protocols achieving optimal power extraction from a single active particle subject to continuous feedback control under the assumption that its spatial trajectory, but not its instantaneous self-propulsion force, is accessible to direct observation. Our Bayesian approach draws on the Onsager-Machlup path integral formalism and is exemplified in the cases of free run-and-tumble and active Ornstein-Uhlenbeck dynamics in one dimension. Such optimal protocols extract positive work even in models characterised by time-symmetric positional trajectories and thus vanishing informational entropy production rates. We argue that the theoretical bounds derived in this work are those against which the performance of realistic active matter engines should be compared.