2020/09/15 by Andrea Baldassarri, Andrea Puglisi, Luca Sesta
Chemistry · Engineering · Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #Brownian motion #Chemistry #Classical mechanics #Context (archaeology) #Field-Flow Fractionation Techniques #Harmonic potential #Mathematics #Non-equilibrium thermodynamics #Physics #Quantum mechanics #Quasistatic process #Statistical physics #Steady state (chemistry) #Stochastic process #Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies #Thermodynamics #cond-mat.soft #cond-mat.stat-mech
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreve.102.030105
published as Phys. Rev. E 102, 030105 (2020) · 5 pages, 1 figure plus supplementary material 10 pages, 2 figures. To appear in PRE Rapid communications
arxiv created 2020/09/15 · openalex publication_date 2020/09/30 · arxiv updated 2020/10/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
In the context of stochastic thermodynamics, a minimal model for nonequilibrium steady states has been recently proposed: the Brownian gyrator (BG). It describes the stochastic overdamped motion of a particle in a two-dimensional harmonic potential, as in the classic Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, but considering the simultaneous presence of two independent thermal baths. When the two baths have different temperatures, the steady BG exhibits a rotating current, a clear signature of nonequilibrium dynamics. Here, we consider a time-dependent potential, and we apply a reverse-engineering approach to derive exactly the required protocol to switch from an initial steady state to a final steady state in a finite time τ. The protocol can be built by first choosing an arbitrary quasistatic counterpart, with few constraints, and then adding a finite-time contribution which only depends upon the chosen quasistatic form and which is of order 1/τ. We also get a condition for transformations which, in finite time, conserve internal energy, useful for applications such as the design of microscopic thermal engines. Our study extends finite-time stochastic thermodynamics to transformations connecting nonequilibrium steady states.