Nonequilibrium steady-state circulation and heat dissipation functional - art. no. 022101

A nonequilibrium steady-state (NESS), different from an equilibrium, is sus tained by circular balance rather than detailed balance. The circular fluxe s are driven by energy input and heat dissipation, accompanied by a positiv e entropy production. Based on a Master equation formalism for NESS. we sho w the circulation is intimately related to the recently studied Gallavotti- Cohen symmetry of heat dissipation functional, which in turn suggests a Bol tzmann's formulalike relation between rate constants and energy in NESS. Ex panding this unifying view on NESS to diffusion is discussed.