Fluctuation Theorems of work and entropy in Hamiltonian systems

TL;DR

This paper discusses fluctuation theorems in Hamiltonian systems, highlighting their role in understanding irreversibility, free energy, and the Second Law, with focus on relations valid under Hamiltonian dynamics.

Contribution

It reviews specific fluctuation relations applicable to Hamiltonian systems, clarifying their implications for nonequilibrium thermodynamics and microscopic reversibility.

Findings

Fluctuation theorems hold regardless of system driving strength.

They provide insights into the emergence of irreversibility.

Applications include free energy calculations from nonequilibrium data.

Abstract

The Fluctuation Theorems are a group of exact relations that remain valid irrespective of how far the system has been driven away from equilibrium. Other than having practical applications, like determination of equilibrium free energy change from nonequilibrium processes, they help in our understanding of the Second Law and the emergence of irreversibility from time-reversible equations of motion at microscopic level. A vast number of such theorems have been proposed in literature, ranging from Hamiltonian to stochastic systems, from systems in steady state to those in transient regime, and for both open and closed quantum systems. In this article, we discuss about a few such relations, when the system evolves under Hamiltonian dynamics.