Geometric and kinetic aspects of nonequilibrium steady states
In my talk I will focus on two related questions: (i) how various characteristics of nonequilibrium steady states depend on (local) thermodynamic versus kinetic properties of the system, and (ii) how geometry of the Markovian transition network determines dominant low-temperature patterns. Concerning the first issue, we will discuss conditions under which the dissipation characteristics of transition channels are insufficient to draw (even qualitatively) conclusions about the occupation of states and/or the direction of currents. In such a case phenomena like the population inversion and the current inversion may occur, depending on kinetic details. Concerning the second, I will argue that a large class of nonequilibrium stochastic systems at low temperatures can conveniently be described in terms of dominant states and their excitations, dominant currents, and attractors with the largest dynamical activity. The attractors exhibit different dissipation patterns which substantially depends on their topology. Possible applications include the construction of "zero-temperature" phase diagrams for driven particle systems and the asymptotic analysis of current in discrete-state ratchet models. [In collaboration with C. Maes and W. O'Kelly de Galway.]
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