Entropy production selects nonequilibrium states in multistable systems

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that in multistable nonequilibrium systems, the state with the highest entropy production is favored, supporting the maximum entropy production principle through analytical and stochastic thermodynamics methods.

Contribution

It provides a clear analytical validation of the maximum entropy production principle in multistable systems using stochastic least-action theory.

Findings

Highest entropy production state is favored in multistable systems

Analytical proof using a simple bistable chemical model

Implications for biological, physical, and geological evolution

Abstract

Far-from-equilibrium thermodynamics underpins the emergence of life, but how has been a long-outstanding puzzle. Best candidate theories based on the maximum entropy production principle could not be unequivocally proven, in part due to complicated physics, unintuitive stochastic thermodynamics, and the existence of alternative theories such as the minimum entropy production principle. Here, we use a simple, analytically solvable, one-dimensional bistable chemical system to demonstrate the validity of the maximum entropy production principle. To generalize to multistable stochastic system, we use the stochastic least-action principle to derive the entropy production and its role in the stability of nonequilibrium steady states. This shows that in a multistable system, all else being equal, the steady state with the highest entropy production is favored, with a number of implications for the evolution of biological, physical, and geological systems.