Markovian description of a wide class of feedback-controlled systems: application to the feedback flashing ratchet

Abstract In feedback-controlled systems, an external agent—the feedback controller—measures the state of the system and modifies its subsequent dynamics depending on the outcome of the measurement. In this paper, we build a Markovian description for the joint stochastic process that comprises both the system and the controller variables. This Markovian description is valid for a wide class of feedback-controlled systems, allowing for the inclusion of errors in the measurement. The general framework is motivated and illustrated with the paradigmatic example of the feedback flashing ratchet.