Stochastic thermodynamics of entropic transport

TL;DR

This paper extends stochastic thermodynamics to entropic transport in confined geometries by introducing relative stochastic entropy, enabling analysis of diffusion processes like ion channels and nanoporous materials.

Contribution

It generalizes Seifert's fluctuation relation to entropic transport using relative surprisal, broadening stochastic thermodynamics applications.

Findings

Derived a generalized fluctuation relation for entropic transport.

Applicable to diffusion in confined geometries such as ion channels.

Provides a theoretical framework for stochastic thermodynamics in complex systems.

Abstract

Seifert derived an exact fluctuation relation for diffusion processes using the concept of "stochastic system entropy". In this note we extend his formalism to entropic transport. We introduce the notion of relative stochastic entropy, or "relative surprisal", and use it to generalize Seifert's system/medium decomposition of the total entropy. This result allows to apply the concepts of stochastic thermodynamics to diffusion processes in confined geometries, such as ion channels, cellular pores or nanoporous materials. It can be seen as the equivalent for diffusion processes of Esposito and Schaller's generalized fluctuation theorem for "Maxwell demon feedbacks".