Experimental test of the fluctuation theorem for a driven two-level system with time-dependent rates

Abstract

A single defect center in diamond periodically excited by a laser is shown to provide a simple realization for a system obeying a fluctuation theorem for nonthermal noise. The distribution of these fluctuations is distinctly non-Gaussian, which has also been verified by numerical calculation. For driving protocols symmetric under time reversal a more restricted form of the theorem holds, which is also known from entropy fluctuations caused by thermal noise. © 2005 The American Physical Society.