Nonequilibrium statistical mechanics and entropy production in a classical infinite system of rotators (Q883029)

Nonequilibrium statistical mechanics of an infinite collection of interacting classical Hamiltonian systems (rotators in the present paper) that are driven out of thermal equilibrium by extenral energy injection or heat flows between thermostats at different temperatures is yet an immature theory. Rigorous statements (existence and uniqueness theorems) are still mixed with tentative conjectures and open problems about links between local and global properties of inferred probability measures (equilibrium or steady states). The nonnegative entropy production and its time rate, both local and global, are essential ingredients of the discussion, as signatures of the second law of thermodynamics for near and far from equilibrium systems. For an infnite system considered, the time evolution is well defined and can be recovered as a specific limit of the Hamiltonian evolution for finite subsystems. A probability measure on the phase space of an infinite system has a well defined evolution. A family of initial (Gibbs-type) states is introduced which describe a situation when parts of an infnite system are at given temperatures. A specific nonequilibrium problem is addressed: to define a local rate of entropy production associated with a finite region. Several possible definitions of the entropy production are associated with a finite or infinite region, or with a partition of the system into a finite number of subsystems. Main efforts are spent on demonstrating that these definitions satisfy the expected bounds in terms of thermostat temperatures and energy flows. A number of conjectures is spelled out.