Large Interconnected Thermodynamic Systems Nearly Minimize Entropy Production

Abstract

Many have speculated whether nonequilibrium systems obey principles of maximum or minimum entropy production. In this work, we use stochastic thermodynamics to derive the condition for the minimum entropy production state (MEPS) for continuous-time Markov chains (CTMCs), even far from equilibrium. We show that real nonequilibrium steady states (NESS) generally violate both the MINEP and MAXEP principles. However, through numerical sampling of large interconnected CTMCs, we find that as system size increases, the steady-state entropy production tends to converge toward the minimum. This suggests that large nonequilibrium systems may self-organize to make efficient use of thermodynamic resources, offering a nuanced perspective on the longstanding debate between MAXEP and MINEP.