Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: Two approaches to small-scale and quantum thermodynamics are fluctuation relations and one-shot statistical mechanics. Fluctuation relations (such as Crooks' theorem and Jarzynski's equality) relate nonequilibrium behaviors to equilibrium quantities such as free energy. One-shot statistical mechanics involves statements about every run of an experiment, not just about averages over trials. We investigate the relation between the two approaches. We show that both approaches feature the same notions of work and the same notions of probability distributions over possible work values. The two approaches are alternative toolkits with which to analyze these distributions. To combine the toolkits, we show how one-shot work quantities can be defined and bounded in contexts governed by Crooks' theorem. These bounds provide a new bridge from one-shot theory to experiments originally designed for testing fluctuation theorems.
Source: New Journal of Physics
Language: English
Subfield: Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,610
Funders: National Science Foundation, John Templeton Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Foundational Questions Institute, Leverhulme Trust, University of Oxford, National Research Foundation, Ministry of Education - Singapore, Institute for Quantum Information and Matter, California Institute of Technology, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
OpenAlex ID: W1631618390