Fluctuations of the total entropy production in stochastic systems

TL;DR

This paper experimentally investigates the fluctuations of excess heat in two out-of-equilibrium stochastic systems, confirming the fluctuation theorem for all observation times and fluctuation magnitudes.

Contribution

It provides experimental validation of the fluctuation theorem for excess heat in linear stochastic systems under various conditions.

Findings

Fluctuation theorem holds for excess heat in both systems.

The theorem is valid for all observation times.

Fluctuations are characterized in electric circuit and harmonic oscillator.

Abstract

Fluctuations of the excess heat in an out of equilibrium steady state are experimentally investigated in two stochastic systems : an electric circuit with an imposed mean current and a harmonic oscillator driven out of equilibrium by a periodic torque. In these two linear systems, we study excess heat that represents the difference between the dissipated heat out of equilibrium and the dissipated heat at equilibrium. Fluctuation theorem holds for the excess heat in the two experimental systems for all observation times and for all fluctuation magnitudes.