Stephen W. Teitsworth

Associate Professor of Physics

Prof. Stephen Teitsworth's research centers on theoretical and experimental studies of noise-driven processes in far-from-equilibrium systems. Recent activity has centered around the development and implementation of novel metrics such as stochastic area which allow one to quantify how far from equilibrium a system is.  These concepts have been developed and applied to low dimensional systems such as mechanical mass-spring assemblies and coupled electronic circuits driven by out-of-equilibrium noise sources.  

Two problems of current interest are: 1) the extension of the stochastic area and related concepts to high-dimensional spatially continuous systems such as elastic filaments (e.g., strings or rods) embedded in viscoelastic media and driven by active noise sources; 2) studies of first-passage processes associated with heating of trapped ions in Paul traps (in collaboration with the group of Prof. Noel at Duke).

Appointments and Affiliations

• Associate Professor of Physics

Contact Information

• Office Location: 089 Physics Bldg, Durham, NC 27708
• Office Phone: +1 919 660 2560
• Email Address: stephen.teitsworth@duke.edu

Education

• Ph.D. Harvard University, 1986

Research Interests

• Current research centers on theoretical and experimental investigations of fluctuation processes in noise-driven dynamical systems that are far from thermal equilibrium.  Theoretical work focuses on the development of novel metrics for characterizing how far from equilibrium a system is.  We focus on cases where established metrics such as entropy production rate may not be easily assessed, for example, in systems driven by non-thermal noises.  We focus on metrics such as stochastic area and irreversibility fields which lead to generalizations of the fluctuation-dissipation relation.  This work is motivated in part by an effort to understand experiments from a range of fields including biophysics (e.g., filaments embedded in viscoelastic networks with active noise sources), electronic transport (e.g., noise-driven electronic circuits and networks), and atomic physics (e.g., noise-driven trapped ions).  Two problems of current interest are: 1) the extension of the stochastic area and related concepts to high-dimensional spatially continuous systems such as elastic filaments (e.g., strings or rods) embedded in viscoelastic media and driven by active noise sources; 2) studies of first-passage processes associated with heating of trapped ions in Paul traps (in collaboration with the group of Prof. Noel at Duke).  

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

• Traditional Fulbright Scholarship. Council for International Exchange of Scholars. 1999

Courses Taught

• PHYSICS 791: Special Readings
• PHYSICS 763: Statistical Mechanics
• PHYSICS 714: Quantum Mechanics 1
• PHYSICS 493: Research Independent Study
• PHYSICS 491: Independent Study: Advanced Topics
• PHYSICS 190S: Special Topics in Physics
• PHYSICS 137S: Energy in the 21st Century and Beyond

Representative Publications

• Teitsworth, S; Neu, JC, Stochastic line integrals and stream functions as metrics of irreversibility and heat transfer., Physical review. E, vol 106 no. 2-1 (2022) [10.1103/physreve.106.024124] [abs].
• Teitsworth, SW; Olson, ME; Bomze, Y, Scaling properties of noise-induced switching in a bistable tunnel diode circuit, European Physical Journal B, vol 92 no. 4 (2019) [10.1140/epjb/e2019-90711-0] [abs].
• Gonzalez, JP; Neu, JC; Teitsworth, SW, Experimental metrics for detection of detailed balance violation., Physical review. E, vol 99 no. 2-1 (2019) [10.1103/physreve.99.022143] [abs].
• Neu, JC; Ghanta, A; Teitsworth, SW, The Geometry of most probable trajectories in noise-driven dynamical systems, Springer Proceedings in Mathematics and Statistics, vol 232 (2018), pp. 153-167 [10.1007/978-3-319-76599-0_9] [abs].
• Ghanta, A; Neu, JC; Teitsworth, S, Fluctuation loops in noise-driven linear dynamical systems., Physical review. E, vol 95 no. 3-1 (2017) [10.1103/physreve.95.032128] [abs].