title: Skewness of steady-state current fluctuations in nonequilibrium systems.
abstract: A skewness of the probability for instantaneous current fluctuations, in a nonequilibrium steady state, is observed experimentally in a dusty plasma. This skewness is attributed to the spatial asymmetry, which is imminent to the nonequilibrium systems due to the external hydrodynamic gradient. Using the modern framework of the large deviation theory, we extend the Onsager-Machlup ansatz for equilibrium fluctuations to systems with a preferred spatial direction, and provide a modulated Gaussian probability distribution, which is tested by simulations. This probability distribution is also of potential interest for other statistical disciplines. Connections with the principles of statistical mechanics, due to Boltzmann and Gibbs, are discussed as well.
authors.affiliation: The Rockefeller University, New York 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Belousov
authors.affiliation: The Rockefeller University, New York 10065, USA.|Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA.
authors.forename: E G D
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA.
authors.forename: Chun-Shang
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA.
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Goree
authors.affiliation: Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Physics, Optoelectronics and Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Feng