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arXiv · 1804.05571

From Non-normalizable Boltzmann-Gibbs statistics to infinite-ergodic theory

Erez Aghion·David A. Kessler·Eli Barkai
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Abstract

We study a particle immersed in a heat bath, in the presence of an external force which decays at least as rapidly as $1/x$, for example a particle interacting with a surface through a Lennard-Jones or a logarithmic potential. As time increases, our system approaches a non-normalizable Boltzmann state. We study observables, such as the energy, which are integrable with respect to this asymptotic thermal state, calculating both time and ensemble averages. We derive a useful canonical-like ensemble which is defined out of equilibrium, using a maximum entropy principle, where the constraints are: normalization, finite averaged energy and a mean-squared displacement which increases linearly with time. Our work merges infinite-ergodic theory with Boltzmann-Gibbs statistics, thus extending the scope of the latter while shedding new light on the concept of ergodicity.

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Erez Aghion, David A. Kessler, Eli Barkai. 2018-11-12. From Non-normalizable Boltzmann-Gibbs statistics to infinite-ergodic theory. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.122.010601

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