Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Entropy production in the nonequilibrium steady states of interacting many-body systems
Sven Dorosz1, Michel Pleimling
1Theory of Soft Condensed Matter, Université du Luxembourg, Luxembourg, L-1511 Luxembourg.
Abstract:
Entropy production is one of the most important characteristics of nonequilibrium steady states. We study here the steady-state entropy production, both at short times as well as in the long-time limit, of two important classes of nonequilibrium systems: transport systems and reaction-diffusion systems. The usefulness of the mean entropy production rate and of the large deviation function of the entropy production for characterizing nonequilibrium steady states of interacting many-body systems is discussed. We show that the large deviation function displays a kink-like feature at zero entropy production that is similar to that observed for a single particle driven along a periodic potential. This kink is a direct consequence of the detailed fluctuation theorem fulfilled by the probability distribution of the entropy production and is therefore a generic feature of the corresponding large deviation function.
Related Concept Videos
Second Law of Thermodynamics
Second Law of Thermodynamics
Entropy
Entropy
When an ideal gas expands isothermally, the disorder in the gas increases. From the molecular perspective, the gas molecules have more volume to move around in.
Consider an infinitesimal step in the expansion, which...
Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
The relation between entropy and disorder can be illustrated with the example of the phase change of ice to water. In ice, the molecules are located at specific sites giving a solid state, whereas, in a liquid form, these molecules are much freer to move. The molecular arrangement has therefore become more randomized. Although the change in average...

