A study of path measures based on second-order Hamilton--Jacobi equations and their applications in stochastic thermodynamics

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Hu, Jianyu, Huang, Qiao, Huang, Yuanfei, Zambrini, Jean-Claude
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2025
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author Hu, Jianyu
Huang, Qiao
Huang, Yuanfei
Zambrini, Jean-Claude
author_facet Hu, Jianyu
Huang, Qiao
Huang, Yuanfei
Zambrini, Jean-Claude
contents This paper provides a systematic investigation of the mathematical structure of path measures and their profound connections to stochastic differential equations (SDEs) through the framework of second-order Hamilton--Jacobi (HJ) equations. This approach establishes a unified methodology for analyzing large deviation principles (LDPs), entropy minimization, and entropy production in stochastic systems. Second-order HJ equations are shown to play a central role in bridging stochastic dynamics and measure theory while forming the foundation of stochastic geometric mechanics and their applications in stochastic thermodynamics. The large deviation rate function is rigorously derived from the probabilistic structure of path measures and proved to be equivalent to the Onsager--Machlup functional of stochastic gradient systems coupled with second-order HJ equations. We revisit entropy minimization problems, including finite time horizon problems and Schrödinger's problem, demonstrating the connections with stochastic geometric mechanics. Furthermore, we present a novel decomposition of entropy production for stochastic systems, revealing that thermodynamic irreversibility can be interpreted as the difference of the corresponding forward and backward second-order HJ equations. Together, this work establishes a comprehensive mathematical study of the relations between path measures and stochastic dynamical systems, and their diverse applications in stochastic thermodynamics and beyond.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_02469
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A study of path measures based on second-order Hamilton--Jacobi equations and their applications in stochastic thermodynamics
Hu, Jianyu
Huang, Qiao
Huang, Yuanfei
Zambrini, Jean-Claude
Mathematical Physics
This paper provides a systematic investigation of the mathematical structure of path measures and their profound connections to stochastic differential equations (SDEs) through the framework of second-order Hamilton--Jacobi (HJ) equations. This approach establishes a unified methodology for analyzing large deviation principles (LDPs), entropy minimization, and entropy production in stochastic systems. Second-order HJ equations are shown to play a central role in bridging stochastic dynamics and measure theory while forming the foundation of stochastic geometric mechanics and their applications in stochastic thermodynamics. The large deviation rate function is rigorously derived from the probabilistic structure of path measures and proved to be equivalent to the Onsager--Machlup functional of stochastic gradient systems coupled with second-order HJ equations. We revisit entropy minimization problems, including finite time horizon problems and Schrödinger's problem, demonstrating the connections with stochastic geometric mechanics. Furthermore, we present a novel decomposition of entropy production for stochastic systems, revealing that thermodynamic irreversibility can be interpreted as the difference of the corresponding forward and backward second-order HJ equations. Together, this work establishes a comprehensive mathematical study of the relations between path measures and stochastic dynamical systems, and their diverse applications in stochastic thermodynamics and beyond.
title A study of path measures based on second-order Hamilton--Jacobi equations and their applications in stochastic thermodynamics
topic Mathematical Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.02469