Abstract:
As we know, the second law of thermodynamics or non-decreasing of entropy implies the "arrow of time", which states that macroscopic non-equilibrium processes are irreversibility. But the microscopic laws of physics are all time-reversible. This apparent contradiction, known as the Loschmidt's paradox, has troubled scientists more than hundred years. The fallacy was largely due to the overlook of unobserved degrees of freedom, such as in the thermal bath. On the other hand, modern techniques allowing the miniaturization of systems and devices to observe fluctuations in microscopic scales and theoretical breakthrough in Fluctuation Relations, open up the era of modern non-equilibrium statistical physics. In this talk, I will briefly discuss the development and breakthrough in non-equilibrium statistical physics in recent years. Some descriptions of my theoretical research together with collaborations with experimental colleagues will also be presented.