Entropy production and fluctuation theorems on complex networks

Abstract: Entropy production (EP) is known as a fundamental quantity for measuring the irreversibility of processes in thermal equilibrium and states far from equilibrium. In stochastic thermodynamics, the EP becomes more visible in terms of the probability density functions of the trajectories of a particle in the state space. Inspired by a previous result that complex networks can serve as state spaces, we consider a data packet transport problem on complex networks. Entropy is produced owing to the complexity of pathways as the packet travels back and forth between two nodes. The EPs are exactly enumerated along the shortest paths between every pair of nodes, and the functional form of the EP distribution is determined by extreme value analysis. The asymptote of the accumulated EP distribution is found to follow the Gumbel distribution.