English

Evaluation of the probability current in the stochastic path integral formalism

Statistical Mechanics 2025-08-15 v2

Abstract

The probability current is a vital quantity in the Fokker-Planck description of stochastic processes. It characterizes non-equilibrium stationary states and appears in linear response calculations. We recover and review the probability current in the Onsager-Machlup functional approach to Markov processes by deriving a self-contained expression in general non-equilibrium fluctuation-dissipation relations using field theoretical methods. The derived formulas hold for non-constant drift and diffusion tensors and are explicitly evaluated in an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process with non-reciprocal interactions specified as a harmonically bound particle in shear flow. Our work clarifies the concept of the probability current -- familiar from the Fokker-Planck equation -- in the path integral approach.

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Cite

@article{arxiv.2411.14004,
  title  = {Evaluation of the probability current in the stochastic path integral formalism},
  author = {Valentin Wilhelm and Matthias Krüger and Matthias Fuchs and Florian Vogel},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2411.14004},
  year   = {2025}
}

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21 pages