Dynamical fluctuations for periodically driven diffusions

Abstract

We study dynamical fluctuations in overdamped diffusion processes driven by time periodic forces. This is done by studying fluctuation functionals (rate functions from large deviation theory) of fluctuations around the non-equilibrium steady regime. We identify a concept called traffic. This traffic, which was introduced in the context of non-equilibrium steady state statistics, is extended here to time-dependent but periodic forces. We discuss the fluctuation functionals of occupations and currents, and work out some specific examples. The connections between these and non-equilibrium thermodynamic potentials, their corresponding variational principles and their Legendre transforms are also discussed. © 2010 IOP Publishing Ltd and SISSA.