Time irreversibility and entropy production in non-Hermitian Model A field theories

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Carosi, Matthias, Garcés, Ot, Garcés, Adrià, Levis, Demian
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Carosi, Matthias
Garcés, Ot
Garcés, Adrià
Levis, Demian
author_facet Carosi, Matthias
Garcés, Ot
Garcés, Adrià
Levis, Demian
contents We develop a systematic framework to quantify irreversibility in scalar Model A field theories with a generic non-Hermitian term driving the dynamics. Using the stochastic path-integral formalism, we perform a controlled small-noise expansion, allowing the computation of the entropy production rate (EPR) and violations of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem (FDT). We show that the local EPR is entirely determined by the anti-Hermitian part of the linearised Langevin equation. Around steady states, the non-Hermitian component produces linear corrections to FDT violations and contributes quadratically to the EPR. As an illustration of the applicability of our approach, we analyse a minimal non-Hermitian extension of the Ginzburg-Landau $ψ^4$ theory describing a non-reciprocal Ising model at coarse-grained scales, for which we obtain explicit expressions of the local EPR, showing that it localises at interfaces in non-uniform states. Our results provide a general characterisation of TRS breaking in non-Hermitian scalar field theories.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_11450
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Time irreversibility and entropy production in non-Hermitian Model A field theories
Carosi, Matthias
Garcés, Ot
Garcés, Adrià
Levis, Demian
Statistical Mechanics
Soft Condensed Matter
High Energy Physics - Theory
We develop a systematic framework to quantify irreversibility in scalar Model A field theories with a generic non-Hermitian term driving the dynamics. Using the stochastic path-integral formalism, we perform a controlled small-noise expansion, allowing the computation of the entropy production rate (EPR) and violations of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem (FDT). We show that the local EPR is entirely determined by the anti-Hermitian part of the linearised Langevin equation. Around steady states, the non-Hermitian component produces linear corrections to FDT violations and contributes quadratically to the EPR. As an illustration of the applicability of our approach, we analyse a minimal non-Hermitian extension of the Ginzburg-Landau $ψ^4$ theory describing a non-reciprocal Ising model at coarse-grained scales, for which we obtain explicit expressions of the local EPR, showing that it localises at interfaces in non-uniform states. Our results provide a general characterisation of TRS breaking in non-Hermitian scalar field theories.
title Time irreversibility and entropy production in non-Hermitian Model A field theories
topic Statistical Mechanics
Soft Condensed Matter
High Energy Physics - Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.11450