Anomalous fluctuations of renewal-reward processes with heavy-tailed distributions.

For renewal-reward processes with a power-law decaying waiting time distribution, anomalously large probabilities are assigned to atypical values of the asymptotic processes. Previous works have revealed that this anomalous scaling causes a singularity in the corresponding large deviation function. In order to further understand this problem, we study in this article the scaling of variance in several renewal-reward processes: counting processes with two different power-law decaying waiting time distributions and a Knudsen gas (a heat conduction model).

Stochastic order parameter dynamics for phase coexistence in heat conduction.

We propose a stochastic order parameter model for describing phase coexistence in steady heat conduction near equilibrium. By analyzing the stochastic dynamics with a nonequilibrium adiabatic boundary condition, where total energy is conserved over time, we derive a variational principle that determines thermodynamic properties in nonequilibrium steady states. The resulting variational principle indicates that the temperature of the interface between the ordered region and the disordered region becomes greater (less) than the equilibrium transition temperature in the linear response regime when the thermal conductivity in the ordered region is less (greater) than that in the disordered region.

Effective Langevin equations leading to large deviation function of time-averaged velocity for a nonequilibrium Rayleigh piston.

We study fluctuating dynamics of a freely movable piston that separates an infinite cylinder into two regions filled with ideal gas particles at the same pressure but different temperatures. To investigate statistical properties of the time-averaged velocity of the piston in the long-time limit, we perturbatively calculate the large deviation function of the time-averaged velocity. Then, we derive an infinite number of effective Langevin equations yielding the same large deviation function as in the original model.

Macroscopically measurable force induced by temperature discontinuities at solid-gas interfaces.

We consider a freely movable solid that separates a long tube into two regions, each of which is filled with a dilute gas. The gases in each region are initially prepared at the same pressure but different temperatures. Under the assumption that the pressure and temperatures of gas particles before colliding with the solid are kept constant over time, we show that temperature gaps appearing on the solid surface generate a force.