Physics Colloquium: Rare Events and Fluctuation Relations: Understanding Systems far from Thermodynamic Equilibrium

Abstract:

Many natural systems can be maintained in a stationary state through the exchange of matter, energy or information with their surroundings. These various currents break time-reversal invariance, generating a continuous increase of entropy in the universe. Such systems are out of equilibrium and can not be described by the Laws of Thermodynamics, or by using the classical principles of statistical physics, a la Gibbs-Boltzmann. One may even fear that seeking an underlying microscopic theory is a vain pursuit: equilibria are all alike, whereas every system can be far from equilibrium in its own way.

In the last two decades, however, important advances in our understanding of non-equilibrium processes have been achieved. Concepts of rares events, large deviations, uctuations relations and macroscopic uctuations provide a uni ed framework with the emergence of some universal features. The objective of this colloquium is to review these new ideas in non-equilibrium statistical physics and to illustrate them by examples inspired from soft-condensed matter.

Event Organizer: Dr. Liron Barak