Average entropy dissipation in irreversible mesoscopic processes

Area of Science:

• Thermodynamics
• Statistical Mechanics
• Physical Chemistry

Background:

• The Clausius inequality is a fundamental principle in classical thermodynamics.
• The Jarzynski equality relates non-equilibrium work to equilibrium free energy differences.
• Understanding entropy dissipation in non-equilibrium systems is crucial for various scientific fields.

Purpose of the Study:

• To rectify the Clausius inequality for entropy production from irreversible work and heat exchanges.
• To explicitly relate mean entropy dissipation to experimental observables using the Jarzynski equality.
• To extend these findings to non-isothermal processes and derive new expressions for average entropy dissipation.

Main Methods:

• Rectification of the Clausius inequality.
• Integration with the Jarzynski equality and its generalizations.
• Analysis of non-isothermal processes transitioning between non-equilibrium steady states.

Main Results:

• Derived expressions for entropy produced by irreversible work and/or heat exchanges.
• Established explicit connections between mean entropy dissipation and experimental/simulation observables.
• Obtained a new exact expression and positive lower bound for average entropy dissipation in non-equilibrium steady states.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a framework to quantify entropy dissipation in non-equilibrium systems.
• The Carnot engine is identified as a limiting case of irreversible processes at material interfaces.
• The findings offer insights into molecular extension experiments and thermodynamic efficiency.