Non-equilibrium Energy Transformation Processes: Theoretical Description at the Level of Molecular Structures

Various experimental techniques have been advanced in recent years to measure non-equilibrium energy transformations on the microscopic scale of single molecules. In general, the systems studied in the corresponding experiments are exposed to strong thermal fluctuations and thus the relevant energetic variables such as work and heat become shastic.

This thesis addresses challenging theoretical problems in this active field of current research: 1) Exact analytical solutions of work and heat...