Abstract
A nonequilibrium steady-state (NESS), different from an equilibrium, is sustained by circular balance rather than detailed balance. The circular fluxes are driven by energy input and heat dissipation, accompanied by a positive entropy production. Based on a Master equation formalism for NESS, we show the circulation is intimately related to the recently studied Gallavotti-Cohen symmetry of heat dissipation functional, which in turn suggests a Boltzmann’s formulalike relation between rate constants and energy in NESS. Expanding this unifying view on NESS to diffusion is discussed.
- Received 24 August 2000
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.64.022101
©2001 American Physical Society