Heat flow in a periodically forced, thermostatted chain

Tomasz Komorowski, Joel L. Lebowitz, Stefano Olla

Published 2022-05-08Version 1

We investigate the properties of a harmonic chain in contact at one end with a thermal bath and subjected at its other end to a periodic force. The particles also undergo a random velocity reversal action, which results in a finite heat conductivity of the system. We prove the approach of the system to a time periodic state and compute the heat current, equal to the time averaged work done on the system, in that state. This work approaches a finite positive value as the length of the chain increases. Rescaling space, the strength and/or the period of the force leads to a macroscopic temperature profile corresponding to the stationary solution of a continuum heat equation with Dirichlet-Neumann boundary conditions.