# Heat fluctuations of Brownian oscillators in nonstationary processes: fluctuation theorem and condensation transition

## TL;DR

This paper analytically investigates heat fluctuations in nonstationary Brownian oscillators after a temperature quench, revealing a condensation transition and complex fluctuation behaviors that extend the fluctuation theorem.

## Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of heat fluctuation distributions in nonstationary harmonic oscillators, uncovering a phase transition and reentrant behavior in large systems.

## Key findings

- Identification of a condensation transition in heat fluctuations
- Reentrant phase diagram in large oscillator ensembles
- Validation of analytical results through numerical simulations

## Abstract

We study analytically the probability distribution of the heat released by an ensemble of harmonic oscillators to the thermal bath, in the nonequilibrium relaxation process following a temperature quench. We focus on the asymmetry properties of the heat distribution in the nonstationary dynamics, in order to study the forms taken by the Fluctuation Theorem as the number of degrees of freedom is varied. After analysing in great detail the cases of one and two oscillators, we consider the limit of a large number of oscillators, where the behavior of fluctuations is enriched by a condensation transition with a nontrivial phase diagram, characterized by reentrant behavior. Numerical simulations confirm our analytical findings. We also discuss and highlight how concepts borrowed from the study of fluctuations in equilibrium under symmetry breaking conditions [Gaspard, J. Stat. Mech. P08021 (2012)] turn out to be quite useful in understanding the deviations from the standard Fluctuation Theorem.