Fluctuation-dissipation relations far from equilibrium

Abstract

Near equilibrium, where all currents of a system vanish on average, the fluctuation-dissipation relation (FDR) connects a current's spontaneous fluctuations with its response to perturbations of the conjugate thermodynamic force. Out of equilibrium, fluctuation-response relations generally involve additional nondissipative contributions. Here, in the framework of stochastic thermodynamics, we show that an equilibrium-like FDR holds for internally equilibrated currents, if the perturbing conjugate force only affects the microscopic transitions that contribute to the current. We discuss the physical requirements for the validity of our result and apply it to nano-sized electronic devices.