Stochastic Energetics (Lecture Notes in Physics)

Stochastic Energetics by now commonly designates the emerging field that bridges the gap between stochastic dynamical processes and thermodynamics. Triggered by the vast improvements in spatio-temporal resolution in nanotechnology, stochastic energetics develops a framework for quantifying individual realizations of a stochastic process on the mesoscopic scale of thermal fluctuations. This is needed to answer such novel questions as: Can one cool a drop of water by agitating an immersed nano-particle? How does heat flow if a Brownian particle pulls a polymer chain? Can one measure the free-energy of a system through a single realization of the associated stochastic process? This book will take the reader gradually from the basics to the applications: Part I provides the necessary background from stochastic dynamics (Langevin, master equation), Part II introduces how stochastic energetics describes such basic notions as heat and work on the mesoscopic scale, Part III details several applications, such as control and detection processes, as well as free-energy transducers. It aims in particular at researchers and graduate students working in the fields of nanoscience and technology. Background of the energetics of stochastic processes.- Physics of Langevin Equation.- Structure of Macroscopic Thermodynamics.- Fluctuations in Chemical Reactions.- Basics of Stochastic Energetics.- Concept of Heat on Mesoscopic Scales.- Work on the Mesoscopic Systems.- Heat Viewed at Different Scales.- Applications of Stochastic Energetics.- Control and Energetics.- Free-Energy Transducers.