BCGS | October 28, 16:30
Stochastic thermodynamics: From principles to the cost of precision
For the macroscopic world, classical thermodynamics formulates the laws governing the transformation of various forms of energy into each other. Stochastic thermodynamics extends these concepts to micro- and nano-systems embedded or coupled to a heat bath where fluctuations play a dominant role. Examples are colloidal particles in time-dependent laser traps, single biomolecules manipulated by optical tweezers or AFM tips, and transport through quantum dots. For these systems, exact non-equilibrium relations like the Jarzynski relation, fluctuation theorems and, most recently, a thermodynamic uncertainty relation have been discovered. I will introduce the main principles, show a few experimental applications, and discuss the universal trade-off between the thermodynamic cost and the precision of any biomolecular, or, more generally, of any isothermal non-equilibrium process.
University of Stuttgart
Lecture Hall II
Contact: Johannes Berg