A method for calculating entropy production without knowing transition rates or dwell times (opens in new tab)

The entropy production rate is central to the study of non-equilibrium systems. This parameter is closely connected to violation of time-reversal symmetry, energy consumption, efficiency, and other properties of interest; in short, it quantifies how far a system is from thermodynamic equilibrium. Standard formulas for the entropy production require knowledge of the system's underlying dynamics, but this knowledge may be hard to acquire in practi...