Project R-9184

Large deviations in non-equilibrium processes (Research)

The theory of equilibrium statistical mechanics is one of the most powerful theories in physics. Its biggest asset is perhaps its simplicity, as one can describe the full thermodynamic picture of a system with only a few thermodynamic potentials, such as energy. The weakness of this theory is that it only works for systems that are always in equilibrium, or driven infinitely slowly. An assumption which is never strictly valid in reality. A full thermodynamic picture can therefore only be given if one also includes non-equilibrium effects. This raises the question wether one can formulate a general theory comparable with equilibrium statistical physics for non-equilibrium systems. Over the last two decades, much progress has been made in this direction, and it is becoming clear that such a general theory should be rooted in the mathematical framework of large deviation theory. The goal of this project would be to tackle several problems in non-equilibrium statistical mechanics from a large-deviation point of view, in this way advancing the construction of a general theory for the thermodynamics of non-equilibrium systems.

01 October 2018 - 01 October 2021