The critical behavior of the entropy production in irreversible models with symmetry

Abstract

The critical behavior of the entropy production rate is analyzed for lattice models defined to be invariant under transformations comprising the symmetry group , and irreversible dynamically as well. A stochastic approach is followed, considering Markovian processes in continuous time, and therefore assuming a master equation representation for the time evolution of the probability distribution of states. The quantitative analysis is mostly supported by results from Monte Carlo simulations, which revealed a divergent behavior in the derivative of the entropy production at the critical point. This divergence is characterized by the critical exponent , in close analogy with the critical behavior of the specific heat of the three-state Potts model, supporting with it the conjecture stating that the class of universality of a system is not directly affected by its reversibility conditions.