Stochastic Thermodynamics

Abstract

Finally, we introduce another theoretical framework employed in this thesis: stochastic thermodynamics. The latter is a rather young theory, which aims at a generalization of thermodynamic notions towards small-scale systems dominated by thermal fluctuations and towards nonequilibrium systems []. On this scale, individual fluctuating trajectories can transiently violate the second law of thermodynamics, but in the limit of large systems (or long times), one shall always recover the well-established laws of macroscopic thermodynamics.