Irwin Oppenheim Award Talk: The Thermodynamic Uncertainty Relation: Applications And Extensions

At the mesoscale, thermal noise is an unavoidable nuisance interfering with the function of molecular devices, from molecular motors to chemical clocks. For these devices to operate, they must constantly consume energy to suppress these fluctuations. Remarkably, the recently discovered thermodynamic uncertainty relation offers a universal bound on the energetic cost to attain precision in the face of such noise. In this talk, I will discuss examples drawn from the literature of how one can apply the thermodynamic uncertainty relation to gain insight into the design principles underpinning the function of such molecular-scale devices as stochastic heat engines, molecular motors, self assembly, chemical kinetics and nonlinear response. I will then turn to extensions and generalizations of the thermodynamic uncertainty relation to highlight new opportunities for applications and insight.