Free Energy Changes, Fluctuations, and Path Probabilities

TL;DR

This paper discusses theoretical relations connecting nonequilibrium processes, free energy changes, and path probabilities, providing a pedagogical overview of key concepts and recent ideas in statistical mechanics.

Contribution

It offers a comprehensive, pedagogical synthesis of static and dynamic relations linking nonequilibrium processes to equilibrium free energies and path probabilities, incorporating recent ideas.

Findings

Relations linking nonequilibrium processes to free energy changes

Connections between path probabilities and dynamical processes

Pedagogical overview of key theoretical developments

Abstract

We illustrate some of the static and dynamic relations discovered by Cohen, Crooks, Evans, Jarzynski, Kirkwood, Morriss, Searles, and Zwanzig. These relations link nonequilibrium processes to equilibrium isothermal free energy changes and to dynamical path probabilities. We include ideas suggested by Dellago, Geissler, Oberhofer, and Schoell-Paschinger. Our treatment is intended to be pedagogical, for use in an updated version of our book: Time Reversibility, Computer Simulation, and Chaos. Comments are very welcome.