Inequalities for non-equilibrium fluctuations of work

Abstract

Five previously unknown inequalities relating equilibrium free energy differences and non-equilibrium work fluctuations are derived, and lucid path to derivation of many similar inequalities is presented. These results are based upon combined exploitation of the Jarzynski equality and the generalization of the scheme for producing uncertainty-type inequalities due to H. Weyl. The inequalities may possibly lead to better understanding of behavior of the equilibrium free-energy estimators from non-equilibrium experimental data in many important applications concerning biological, chemical, and physical molecular processes.

11 pages, 1 table, final version