Stochastic Thermodynamics: noise and energetics of nanoscale systems

Stochastic thermodynamics, initiated three decades ago, aims at quantifying the fluctuations of physical observables in relation with thermodynamic quantities (such as heat or entropy production). A typical result is the Thermodynamic Uncertainty Relation, which states that a high entropy production is required to obtain a favorable noise-to-signal ratio for some observables (such as displacement of a molecular motor) in stationary out-of-equilibrium systems. It is especially relevant for nanoscale systems, where the fluctuations cannot be neglected. This includes biological systems (e.g. biological motors such as kinesin along a microtubule), electronic systems (transistor-based memories), chemical reactions, etc.

The talk will be both a tutorial on some basic results or applications, and a presentation of some recent results and perspectives.