No Arabic abstract
In the context of stochastic thermodynamics, a minimal model for non equilibrium steady states has been recently proposed: the Brownian Gyrator (BG). It describes the stochastic overdamped motion of a particle in a two dimensional harmonic potential, as in the classic Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, but considering the simultaneous presence of two independent thermal baths. When the two baths have different temperatures, the steady BG exhibits a rotating current, a clear signature of non equilibrium dynamics. Here, we consider a time-dependent potential, and we apply a reverse-engineering approach to derive exactly the required protocol to switch from an initial steady state to a final steady state in a finite time $tau$. The protocol can be built by first choosing an arbitrary quasi-static counterpart - with few constraints - and then adding a finite-time contribution which only depends upon the chosen quasi-static form and which is of order $1/tau$. We also get a condition for transformations which - in finite time - conserve internal energy, useful for applications such as the design of microscopic thermal engines. Our study extends finite-time stochastic thermodynamics to transformations connecting non-equilibrium steady states.
Engineered swift equilibration (ESE) is a class of driving protocols that enforce an equilibrium distribution with respect to external control parameters at the beginning and end of rapid state transformations of open, classical non-equilibrium systems. ESE protocols have previously been derived and experimentally realized for Brownian particles in simple, one-dimensional, time-varying trapping potentials; one recent study considered ESE in two-dimensional Euclidean configuration space. Here we extend the ESE framework to generic, overdamped Brownian systems in arbitrary curved configuration space and illustrate our results with specific examples not amenable to previous techniques. Our approach may be used to impose the necessary dynamics to control the full temporal configurational distribution in a wide variety of experimentally realizable settings.
The recent interest into the Brownian gyrator has been confined chiefly to the analysis of Brownian dynamics both in theory and experiment despite the applicability of general cases with definite mass. Considering mass explicitly in the solution of the Fokker--Planck equation and Langevin dynamics simulations, we investigate how inertia can change the dynamics and energetics of the Brownian gyrator. In the Langevin model, the inertia reduces the nonequilibrium effects by diminishing the declination of the probability density function and the mean of a specific angular momentum, $j_theta$, as a measure of rotation. Another unique feature of the Langevin description is that rotation is maximized at a particular anisotropy while the stability of the rotation is minimized at a particular anisotropy or mass. Our results suggest that the Langevin dynamics description of the Brownian gyrator is intrinsically different from that with Brownian dynamics. In addition, $j_theta$ is proven to be essential and convenient for estimating stochastic energetics such as heat currents and entropy production even in the underdamped regime.
We propose a new protocol that ensures the fast equilibration of an overdamped harmonic oscillator by a joint time-engineering of the confinement strength and of the effective temperature of the thermal bath. We demonstrate experimentally the effectiveness of our protocol with an optically trapped Brownian particle and report an equilibrium recovering time reduced by about two orders of magnitude compared to the natural relaxation time. Our scheme paves the way towards reservoir engineering in nano-systems.
We consider a model of a two-dimensional molecular machine - called Brownian gyrator - that consists of two coordinates coupled to each other and to separate heat baths at temperatures respectively $T_x$ and $T_y$. We consider the limit in which one component is passive, because its bath is cold, $T_x to 0$, while the second is in contact with a hot bath, $T_y > 0$, hence it entrains the passive component in a stochastic motion. We derive an asymmetry relation as a function of time, from which time dependent effective temperatures can be obtained for both components. We find that the effective temperature of the passive element tends to a constant value, which is a fraction of $T_y$, while the effective temperature of the driving component grows without bounds, in fact exponentially in time, as the steady-state is approached.
We investigate the persistence probability of a Brownian particle in a harmonic potential, which decays to zero at long times -- leading to an unbounded motion of the Brownian particle. We consider two functional forms for the decay of the confinement, an exponential and an algebraic decay. Analytical calculations and numerical simulations show, that for the case of the exponential relaxation, the dynamics of Brownian particle at short and long times are independent of the parameters of the relaxation. On the contrary, for the algebraic decay of the confinement, the dynamics at long times is determined by the exponent of the decay. Finally, using the two-time correlation function for the position of the Brownian particle, we construct the persistence probability for the Brownian walker in such a scenario.