Abstract
Energy flows in biomolecular motors and machines are vital to their function. Yet experimental observations are often limited to a small subset of variables that participate in energy transport and dissipation. Here we show, through a solvable Langevin model, that the seemingly hidden entropy production is measurable through the violation spectrum of the fluctuation-response relation of a slow observable. For general Markov systems with time scale separation, we prove that the violation spectrum exhibits a characteristic plateau in the intermediate frequency region. Despite its vanishing height, the plateau can account for energy dissipation over a broad time scale. Our findings suggest a general possibility to probe hidden entropy production in nanosystems without direct observation of fast variables.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 070601 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Physical Review Letters |
Volume | 117 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 12 Aug 2016 |
Scopus Subject Areas
- General Physics and Astronomy