One of the key features of non-equilibrium steady states (NESS) is the presence of non-trivial probability currents. We propose a general classification of NESS in which these currents play a central distinguishing role. As a corollary, we specify the transformations of the dynamic transition rates which leave a given NESS invariant. The formalism is most transparent within a continuous-time master equation framework since it allows for a general graph-theoretical representation of the NESS. We discuss the consequences of these transformations for entropy production, present several simple examples, and explore some generalizations, to discrete time and continuous variables. © IOP Publishing Ltd.
CITATION STYLE
Zia, R. K. P., & Schmittmann, B. (2007). Probability currents as principal characteristics in the statistical mechanics of non-equilibrium steady states. Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and Experiment, (7). https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-5468/2007/07/P07012
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