Mesoscopic non-equilibrium thermodynamics Authors J. Miguel Rubi Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia Keywords: non-equilibrium, nanoscale-mesoscale, fluctuations, thermodynamics, free energy Abstract Autonomous microsystems, such as biomolecules, molecular motors, nanomotors, and active particles, are functionally dependent on nanoscale energy conversion mechanisms. The non-equilibrium processes taking place in those systems are strongly influenced by the presence of fluctuations. Contributions to the free energy that vanish in the infinite particle number limit cannot be neglected and may exert an important influence in the dynamics of the system. We show that, in spite of these features, non-equilibrium thermodynamics applies. A rigorous theoretical foundation that accounts for the statistical nature of mesoscale systems over short time scales, “mesoscopic non-equilibrium thermodynamics”, is currently being developed and offers a promising framework for interpreting future experiments in chemistry and biochemistry. [Contrib Sci 11(2): 147-151 (2015)]Keywords: non-equilibrium · nanoscale-mesoscale · fluctuations · thermodynamics · free energy Downloads PDF Issue Vol. 11 No. 2 (2015) Section Non-equilibrium thermodynamics License This work is subject, unless the contrary is indicated in the text, the photographs or in other illustrations, to an Attribution —Non-Commercial— No Derivative Works 3.0 Creative Commons License, the full text of which can be consulted at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/. You are free to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work provided that the author is credited and reuse of the material is restricted to non-commercial purposes only and that no derivative works are created from the original material.
