Heat distribution function for motion in a general potential at low temperature

TL;DR

This paper derives an explicit heat distribution function for a Brownian particle in a general potential at low temperatures, revealing divergence features linked to potential minima and gaps.

Contribution

It provides a novel explicit expression for the heat distribution in overdamped Brownian motion within general potentials at low temperatures.

Findings

Local minima cause divergent side bands in heat distribution.

Potential gaps determine the position of divergence bands.

Tails of the heat distribution are explicitly characterized.

Abstract

We consider the 1D motion of an overdamped Brownian particle in a general potential in the low temperature limit. We derive an explicit expression for the probability distribution for the heat transferred to the particle. We find that the local minima in the potential yield divergent side bands in the heat distribution in addition to the divergent central peak. The position of the bands are determined by the potential gaps. We, moreover, determine the tails of the heat distribution.