Weak invariants in dissipative systems: action principle and Noether charge for kinetic theory

Abstract

In non-equilibrium classical thermostatistics, the state of a system may be described by not only dynamical/thermodynamical variables but also a kinetic distribution function. This ‘double structure’ bears some analogy with that in quantum thermodynamics, where both dynamical variables and the Hilbert space are involved. Recently, the concept of weak invariants has repeatedly been discussed in the context of quantum thermodynamics. A weak invariant is defined in such a way that its value changes in time but its expectation value is conserved under time evolution prescribed by a kinetic equation. Here, a new aspect of a weak invariant is revealed for the classical Fokker–Planck equation as an example of classical kinetic equations. The auxiliary field formalism is applied to the construction of the action for the kinetic equation. Then, it is shown that the auxiliary field is a weak invariant and is the Noether charge. The action is invariant under the transformation generated by the weak invariant. The result may shed light on possible roles of the symmetry principle in the kinetic descriptions of non-equilibrium systems. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fundamental aspects of nonequilibrium thermodynamics’.