The Fluctuation Theorem for Stochastic Systems

Abstract

The Fluctuation Theorem describes the probability ratio of observing trajectories that satisfy or violate the second law of thermodynamics. It has been proved in a number of different ways for thermostatted deterministic nonequilibrium systems. In the present paper we show that the Fluctuation Theorem is also valid for a class of stochastic nonequilibrium systems. The Theorem is therefore not reliant on the reversibility or the determinism of the underlying dynamics. Numerical tests verify the theoretical result.

Minor changes; typos corrected; accepted by Physical Review E