Dr. Andre C. Barato’s main research focus is on stochastic thermodynamics. This theoretical framework generalizes standard thermodynamics to small systems with large fluctuations that can be arbitrarily far from equilibrium. A key conceptual element is the definition of entropy (heat and work) at the level of a single stochastic trajectory. The main result of the field is the fluctuation theorem that constrains the probability distribution of this fluctuating entropy, implying a generalization of the second law of thermodynamics. Stochastic thermodynamics applies to, inter alia, small biological systems, single molecules, small electronic systems such as quantum dots, and colloidal particles. He has a particular interest in uncovering universal relations that constrain fluctuations in nonequilibrium systems and in applications related to biophysics.
