Stochastic thermodynamics of opinion dynamics models.

We show that models of opinion formation and dissemination in a community of individuals can be framed within stochastic thermodynamics from which we can build a nonequilibrium thermodynamics of opinion dynamics. This is accomplished by decomposing the original transition rate that defines an opinion model into two or more transition rates, each representing the contact with heat reservoirs at different temperatures, and postulating an energy function. As the temperatures are distinct, heat fluxes are present even at the stationary state and linked to the production of entropy, the fundamental quantity that characterizes nonequilibrium states.

Stochastic motion in phase space on a surface of constant energy.

We study closed systems of particles that are subject to stochastic forces in addition to the conservative forces. The stochastic equations of motion are set up in such a way that the energy is strictly conserved at all times. To ensure this conservation law, the evolution equation for the probability density is derived using an appropriate interpretation of the stochastic equation of motion that is not the Itô nor the Stratonovic interpretation.

Analysis of earlier times and flux of entropy on the majority voter model with diffusion.

We study the properties of nonequilibrium systems modelled as spin models without defined Hamiltonian as the majority voter model. This model has transition probabilities that do not satisfy the condition of detailed balance. The lack of detailed balance leads to entropy production phenomena, which are a hallmark of the irreversibility.

Stochastic thermodynamics and entropy production of chemical reaction systems.

We investigate the nonequilibrium stationary states of systems consisting of chemical reactions among molecules of several chemical species. To this end, we introduce and develop a stochastic formulation of nonequilibrium thermodynamics of chemical reaction systems based on a master equation defined on the space of microscopic chemical states and on appropriate definitions of entropy and entropy production. The system is in contact with a heat reservoir and is placed out of equilibrium by the contact with particle reservoirs.

Stochastic approach to equilibrium and nonequilibrium thermodynamics.

We develop the stochastic approach to thermodynamics based on stochastic dynamics, which can be discrete (master equation) and continuous (Fokker-Planck equation), and on two assumptions concerning entropy. The first is the definition of entropy itself and the second the definition of entropy production rate, which is non-negative and vanishes in thermodynamic equilibrium. Based on these assumptions, we study interacting systems with many degrees of freedom in equilibrium or out of thermodynamic equilibrium and how the macroscopic laws are derived from the stochastic dynamics.

Stochastic dynamics of dengue epidemics.

We use a stochastic Markovian dynamics approach to describe the spreading of vector-transmitted diseases, such as dengue, and the threshold of the disease. The coexistence space is composed of two structures representing the human and mosquito populations. The human population follows a susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) type dynamics and the mosquito population follows a susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) type dynamics.

Entropy production in nonequilibrium systems at stationary states.

We present a stochastic approach to nonequilibrium thermodynamics based on the expression of the entropy production rate advanced by Schnakenberg for systems described by a master equation. From the microscopic Schnakenberg expression we get the macroscopic bilinear form for the entropy production rate in terms of fluxes and forces. This is performed by placing the system in contact with two reservoirs with distinct sets of thermodynamic fields and by assuming an appropriate form for the transition rate.

Critical behavior of the susceptible-infected-recovered model on a square lattice.

By means of numerical simulations and epidemic analysis, the transition point of the stochastic asynchronous susceptible-infected-recovered model on a square lattice is found to be c0=0.1765005(10), where c is the probability a chosen infected site spontaneously recovers rather than tries to infect one neighbor. This point corresponds to an infection/recovery rate of λ(c)=(1-c0)/c0=4.

Entropy production in irreversible systems described by a Fokker-Planck equation.

We analyze the irreversibility and the entropy production in nonequilibrium interacting particle systems described by a Fokker-Planck equation by the use of a suitable master equation representation. The irreversible character is provided either by nonconservative forces or by the contact with heat baths at distinct temperatures. The expression for the entropy production is deduced from a general definition, which is related to the probability of a trajectory in phase space and its time reversal, that makes no reference a priori to the dissipated power.

Probability currents and entropy production in nonequilibrium lattice systems.

The structure of probability currents is studied for the dynamical network after consecutive contraction on two-state, nonequilibrium lattice systems. This procedure allows us to investigate the transition rates between configurations on small clusters and highlights some relevant effects of lattice symmetries on the elementary transitions that are responsible for entropy production. A method is suggested to estimate the entropy production for different levels of approximations (cluster sizes) as demonstrated in the two-dimensional contact process with mutation.

Role of noise in population dynamics cycles.

Noise is an intrinsic feature of population dynamics and plays a crucial role in oscillations called phase-forgetting quasicycles by converting damped into sustained oscillations. This function of noise becomes evident when considering Langevin equations whose deterministic part yields only damped oscillations. We formulate here a consistent and systematic approach to population dynamics, leading to a Fokker-Planck equation and the associate Langevin equations in accordance with this conceptual framework, founded on stochastic lattice-gas models that describe spatially structured predator-prey systems.

Entropy production in the majority-vote model.

We analyzed the entropy production in the majority-vote model by using a mean-field approximation and Monte Carlo simulations. The dynamical rules of the model do not obey detailed balance so that entropy is continuously being produced. This nonequilibrium stochastic model is known to have a critical behavior belonging to the universality class of the equilibrium Ising model.

Stationary distribution of finite-size systems with absorbing states.

We introduce a procedure that allows us to obtain nontrivial stationary distributions of finite-size models with absorbing states. Two models are studied: the contact process and the sandpile model with height restriction. To avoid the permanence of the system in the absorbing state we create a small perturbation that drives the system out of the absorbing state.

Sandpiles with height restrictions.

We study stochastic sandpile models with a height restriction in one and two dimensions. A site can topple if it has a height of two, as in Manna's model, but, in contrast to previously studied sandpiles, here the height (or number of particles per site), cannot exceed two. This yields a considerable simplification over the unrestricted case, in which the number of states per site is unbounded.