Thermodynamic Uncertainty Relation Bounds the Extent of Anomalous Diffusion

David Hartich; Aljaz Godec

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.127.080601

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arXiv · 2102.06678

Thermodynamic Uncertainty Relation Bounds the Extent of Anomalous Diffusion

David Hartich·Aljaz Godec

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Abstract

In a finite system driven out of equilibrium by a constant external force the thermodynamic uncertainty relation (TUR) bounds the variance of the conjugate current variable by the thermodynamic cost of maintaining the non-equilibrium stationary state. Here we highlight a new facet of the TUR by showing that it also bounds the time-scale on which a finite system can exhibit anomalous kinetics. In particular, we demonstrate that the TUR bounds subdiffusion in a single file confined to a ring as well as a dragged Gaussian polymer chain even when detailed balance is satisfied. Conversely, the TUR bounds the onset of superdiffusion in the active comb model. Remarkably, the fluctuations in a comb model evolving from a steady state behave anomalously as soon as detailed balance is broken. Our work establishes a link between stochastic thermodynamics and the field of anomalous dynamics that will fertilize further investigations of thermodynamic consistency of anomalous diffusion models.

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David Hartich, Aljaz Godec. 2021-02-12. Thermodynamic Uncertainty Relation Bounds the Extent of Anomalous Diffusion. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.127.080601

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