Inequalities generalizing the second law of thermodynamics for transitions between non-stationary states

Abstract

We discuss the consequences of a variant of the Hatano-Sasa relation in which a nonstationary distribution is used in place of the usual stationary one. We first show that this nonstationary distribution is related to a difference of traffic between the direct and dual dynamics. With this formalism, we extend the definition of the adiabatic and nonadiabatic entropies introduced by M. Esposito and C. Van Introduction.-The second law of thermodynamics provides fundamental limitations on the way transitions between equilibrium states can occur. For many years, this principle could only be expressed as an inequality. A broad number of works summarized under the name of fluctuations theorems In these generalizations, an essential step was made by Hatano and Sas