Work and heat probability distribution of an optically driven Brownian particle: Theory and experiments

TL;DR

This paper provides a theoretical framework and experimental validation for the probability distributions of work and heat in an optically driven Brownian particle, enhancing understanding of stochastic thermodynamics in microscopic systems.

Contribution

It offers explicit solutions for work and heat distributions in a dragged Brownian particle and validates these predictions through experiments.

Findings

Theoretical predictions match experimental data.

Explicit formulas for work and heat distributions.

Insights into stochastic thermodynamics of colloidal particles.

Abstract

We analyze the equations governing the evolution of distributions of the work and the heat exchanged with the environment by a manipulated stochastic system, by means of a compact and general derivation. We obtain explicit solutions for these equations for the case of a dragged Brownian particle in a harmonic potential. We successfully compare the resulting predictions with the outcomes of experiments, consisting in dragging a micron-sized colloidal particle through water with a laser trap.