APS » PROLA » Phys. Rev. E » Volume 56 » Issue 5

Phys. Rev. E 56, 5018 - 5035 (1997)

Equilibrium free-energy differences from nonequilibrium measurements: A master-equation approach
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C. Jarzynski
Theoretical Astrophysics, T-6, MS B288, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545

Received 18 June 1997

In has recently been shown that the Helmholtz free-energy difference between two equilibrium configurations of a system may be obtained from an ensemble of finite-time (nonequilibrium) measurements of the work performed in switching an external parameter of the system. Here this result is established, as an identity, within the master equation formalism. Examples are discussed and numerical illustrations provided.


©1997 The American Physical Society

URL: http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRE/v56/p5018
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.56.5018
PACS: 05.20.-y, 02.50.Ga, 05.70.Ln, 82.20.Fd

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