The Jarzynski equality (JE) and the undergirding Crooks fluctuation theorem (CFT) have generated intense interest recently among researchers in physical and biological sciences. It has been held that the CFT has wider applicability than the JE. This note shows that the two are equally applicable and that their applicability is possibly limited to near-equilibrium processes, where the linear fluctuation-dissipation theorem holds.

1.
C.
Jarzynski
,
Phys. Rev. Lett.
78
,
2690
(
1997
).
2.
G. E.
Crooks
,
Phys. Rev. E
61
,
2361
(
2000
).
3.
G.
Hummer
and
A.
Szabo
,
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.
98
,
3658
(
2001
).
4.
A.
Imparato
and
L.
Peliti
,
Phys. Rev. E
72
,
046114
(
2005
).
5.
J.
Liphardt
,
B.
Onoa
,
S. B.
Smith
,
I.
Tinoco
, Jr.
, and
C.
Bustamante
,
Science
292
,
733
(
2001
).
6.
S.
Park
,
F.
Khalili-Araghi
,
E.
Tajkhorshid
, and
K.
Schulten
,
J. Chem. Phys.
119
,
3559
(
2003
).
7.
D.
Collin
,
F.
Ritort
,
C.
Jarzynski
,
S. B.
Smith
,
I.
Tinoco
, and
C.
Bustamante
,
Nature (London)
437
,
231
(
2005
).
8.
F. M.
Ytreberg
,
R. H.
Swendsen
, and
D. M.
Zuckerman
,
J. Chem. Phys.
125
,
184114
(
2006
).
9.
C. W.
Gardiner
,
Handbook of Stochastic Methods for Physics, Chemistry, and the Natural Sciences
(
Springer-Verlag
,
Berlin
,
1985
).
10.
I.
Kosztin
,
B.
Barz
, and
L.
Janosi
,
J. Chem. Phys.
124
,
064106
(
2006
).
11.
E. G. D.
Cohen
and
D.
Mauzerall
,
Mol. Phys.
103
,
2923
(
2005
).
12.
J. M. G.
Vilar
and
J. M. F.
Rubi
,
Phys. Rev. Lett.
100
,
020601
(
2008
).
You do not currently have access to this content.