Fluctuation relations without microreversibility in nonlinear transport

H. Forster, M. Buttiker

Published 2008-05-03, updated 2008-10-29Version 2

In linear transport, the fluctuation-dissipation theorem relates equilibrium current correlations to the linear conductance coefficient. For nonlinear transport, there exist fluctuation relations that rely on Onsager's principle of microscopic reversibility away from equilibrium. However, both theory and experiments have shown deviations from microreversibility in the form of magnetic field asymmetric current-voltage relations. We present novel fluctuation relations for nonlinear transport in the presence of magnetic fields that relate current correlation functions at any order at equilibrium to response coefficients of current cumulants of lower order. We illustrate our results with the example of an electrical Mach-Zehnder interferometer.