Abstract
The total entropy production fluctuations are studied in some exactly solvable models. For these systems, the detailed fluctuation theorem holds even in the transient state, provided initially that the system is prepared in thermal equilibrium. The nature of entropy production during the relaxation of a system to equilibrium is analyzed. The averaged entropy production over a finite time interval gives a better bound for the average work performed on the system than that obtained from the well-known Jarzynski equality. Moreover, the average entropy production as a quantifier for information theoretic nature of irreversibility for finite time nonequilibrium processes is discussed.
- Received 7 April 2009
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.80.011117
©2009 American Physical Society
Synopsis
Creating—or destroying—entropy in a small system
Published 20 July 2009
Statistical physicists have long known that brief reductions in entropy are possible. Now, entropy changes in two nonequilibrium systems have been calculated exactly.
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