Equilibrium free energy differences at different temperatures from a single set of nonequilibrium transitions

Abstract

Crook's Fluctuation Theorem and Jarzynski equality are immensely powerful tools in obtaining equilibrium properties through non-equilibrium transition between two equilibrium states. In this letter, we propose an extension to the Crook's fluctuation theorem for transition between two non-equilibrium steady states (NESS). Using the proposed theorem, we show that it is possible to obtain free energy differences of multiple equilibrium states from a single set of data obtained from the transition between two NESS. The results are verified using numerical simulations by employing Nose-Hoover dynamics and a single dimensional $\phi^4$ chain. The equations are cast in a manner that makes it possible to do experimental verification. The proposed method can provide free-energy difference for a range of temperature, and consequently is much faster than either the Jarzynski equality or the Crooks's fluctuation theorem.