Non-equilibrium Dynamics, Thermalization and Entropy Production

Abstract

This paper addresses fundamental aspects of statistical mechanics such as the motivation of a classical state space with spontaneous transitions, the meaning of non-equilibrium in the context of thermalization, and the justification of these concepts from the quantum-mechanical point of view. After an introductory part we focus on the problem of entropy production in non-equilibrium systems. In particular, the generally accepted formula for entropy production in the environment is analyzed from a critical perspective. It is shown that this formula is only valid in the limit of separated time scales of the system's and the environmental degrees of freedom. Finally, we present an alternative simple proof of the fluctuation theorem.

20 pages, 5 figures, STATPHYS-KOLKATA VII conference proceedings

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Cited by in corpus (10)

• Stochastic thermodynamics, fluctuation theorems, and molecular machines
• Entropy Production of Nonequilibrium Steady States with Irreversible Transitions
• Entropy production of a bound nonequilibrium interface
• Taking snapshots of a quantum thermalization process: emergent classicality in quantum jump trajectories
• Nonequilibrium steady states in Langevin thermal systems
• A Gallavotti-Cohen-Evans-Morriss like symmetry for a class of Markov jump processes
• The derivation of Markov processes that violate detailed balance
• On entropy production in nonequilibrium systems
• Microscopic theory for the time irreversibility and the entropy production
• Probing thermalization in quenched (non-)integrable Fermi-Hubbard models