Time-dependence of the effective temperatures of a two-dimensional Brownian gyrator with cold and hot components

TL;DR

This paper analyzes a two-dimensional Brownian gyrator with one component in a cold bath and the other in a hot bath, deriving time-dependent effective temperatures and revealing distinct asymptotic behaviors for each component.

Contribution

It introduces a novel asymmetry relation for the time evolution of effective temperatures in a coupled two-bath system, especially in the limit of one bath being cold.

Findings

Passive component's effective temperature approaches a constant fraction of T_y.

Driving component's effective temperature grows exponentially over time.

Distinct asymptotic behaviors for passive and active components.

Abstract

We consider a model of a two-dimensional molecular machine - called Brownian gyrator - that consists of two coordinates coupled to each other and to separate heat baths at temperatures respectively $T_x$ and $T_y$. We consider the limit in which one component is passive, because its bath is "cold", $T_x \to 0$, while the second is in contact with a "hot" bath, $T_y > 0$, hence it entrains the passive component in a stochastic motion. We derive an asymmetry relation as a function of time, from which time dependent effective temperatures can be obtained for both components. We find that the effective temperature of the passive element tends to a constant value, which is a fraction of $T_y$, while the effective temperature of the driving component grows without bounds, in fact exponentially in time, as the steady-state is approached.