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Thermodynamic uncertainty relations constrain non-equilibrium fluctuations

Nature Physics volume 16, pages 15–20 (2020)Cite this article

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Abstract

In equilibrium thermodynamics, there exists a well-established connection between dynamical fluctuations of a physical system and the dissipation of its energy into an environment. However, few similarly quantitative tools are available for the description of physical systems out of equilibrium. Here, we offer our perspective on the recent development of a new class of inequalities known as thermodynamic uncertainty relations, which have revealed that dissipation constrains current fluctuations in steady states arbitrarily far from equilibrium. We discuss the stochastic thermodynamic origin of these inequalities, and highlight recent efforts to expand their applicability, which have focused on connections between current fluctuations and the fluctuation theorems.

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Fig. 1: Thermodynamic constraints on fluctuations in particle currents.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge our collaborators on this work, J. England, N. Perunov, G. M. Rostkoff, K. Proesmans, H. Vroylandt, J. Li, N. Fakhri, R. Marsland III and W. Cui.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Jordan M. Horowitz

  2. Center for the Study of Complex Systems, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Jordan M. Horowitz

  3. Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Jordan M. Horowitz

  4. Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Todd R. Gingrich

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  1. Jordan M. Horowitz
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  2. Todd R. Gingrich
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Correspondence to Jordan M. Horowitz or Todd R. Gingrich.

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Peer review information Nature Physics thanks Shin-ichi Sasa and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Horowitz, J.M., Gingrich, T.R. Thermodynamic uncertainty relations constrain non-equilibrium fluctuations. Nat. Phys. 16, 15–20 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-019-0702-6

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