Fluctuation-Dissipation Relations Far from Equilibrium

in Physical Review Letters (2016), 117(180601),

Near equilibrium, where all currents of a system vanish on average, the fluctuation-dissipation relation (FDR) connects a current’s spontaneous fluctuations with its response to perturbations of the ... [more ▼]

Near equilibrium, where all currents of a system vanish on average, the fluctuation-dissipation relation (FDR) connects a current’s spontaneous fluctuations with its response to perturbations of the conjugate thermodynamic force. Out of equilibrium, fluctuation-response relations generally involve additional nondissipative contributions. Here, in the framework of stochastic thermodynamics, we show that an equilibriumlike FDR holds for internally equilibrated currents, if the perturbing conjugate force only affects the microscopic transitions that contribute to the current. We discuss the physical requirements for the validity of our result and apply it to nanosized electronic devices. [less ▲]