Structures of nonequilibrium fluctuations: dissipation and activity

Abstract

We discuss research done in two important areas of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics: fluctuation dissipation relations and dynamical fluctuations. In equilibrium systems the fluctuation-dissipation theorem gives a simple relation between the response of observables to a perturation and correlation functions in the unperturbed system. Our contribution here is an investigation of the form of the response function for systems out of equilibrium. Furthermore, we use the theory of large deviations to examine dynamical fluctuations in systems out of equilibrium. In dynamical fluctuation theory we consider two kinds of observables: occupations (describing the fraction of time the system spends in each configuration) and currents (describing the changes of configuration the system makes). We explain how to compute the rate functions of the large deviations, and what the physical quantities are that govern their form.