Fluctuation theorem for entropy production at strong coupling**Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11674360, 11734018, 11835011, and 11965012) and the Applied Basic Research Project of Yunnan Province, China (Grant No. 2017FB004).

Abstract

Fluctuation theorems have been applied successfully to any system away from thermal equilibrium, which are helpful for understanding the thermodynamic state evolution. We investigate fluctuation theorems for strong coupling between a system and its reservoir, by path-dependent definition of work and heat satisfying the first law of thermodynamics. We present the fluctuation theorems for two kinds of entropy productions. One is the informational entropy production, which is always non-negative and can be employed in either strong or weak coupling systems. The other is the thermodynamic entropy production, which differs from the informational entropy production at strong coupling by the effects regarding the reservoir. We find that, it is the negative work on the reservoir, rather than the nonequilibrium of the thermal reservoir, which invalidates the thermodynamic entropy production at strong coupling. Our results indicate that the effects from the reservoir are essential to understanding thermodynamic processes at strong coupling.