Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Near equilibrium, the Boltzmann distribution is corrected by the transient irreversible entropy flux, a result known as the McLennan formula. By expanding around equiaccessible steady states instead, we derive an analogue that can hold arbitrarily far from equilibrium. At zeroth order, steady-state occupation is determined solely by local escape rates, yielding a strong form of the active-matter principle of "low rattling." The first-order correction measures the impact of traffic imbalances on the accessibility of each state, marking the onset of nonlocal determinants of relative occupation.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Author: Calvert, Jacob
Institutions: Santa Fe Institute, University of Delaware
Language: English
Subfield: Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7223020618