Energy repartition for a harmonic chain with local reservoirs

Authors :: Falasco, Gianmaria
Baiesi, Marco
Molinaro, Leo
Conti, Livia
Baldovin, Fulvio
Source :: Phys. Rev. E 92, 022129 (2015)
Publication Year :: 2015
Abstract: We exactly analyze the vibrational properties of a chain of harmonic oscillators in contact with local Langevin heat baths. Nonequilibrium steady-state fluctuations are found to be described by a set of mode-temperatures, independent of the strengths of both the harmonic interaction and the viscous damping. Energy is equally distributed between the conjugate variables of a given mode but differently among different modes, in a manner which depends exclusively on the bath temperatures and on the boundary conditions. We outline how bath-temperature profiles can be designed to enhance or reduce fluctuations at specific frequencies in the power spectrum of the chain length.<br />Comment: 8 pages