Geometric phases in stochastic systems

Synopsis

In quantum mechanics and stochastic processes we study the time dependence of probability distributions by considering the evolution of wavefunctions and generating functions, respectively. It should not be surprising that many frameworks developed in quantum mechanics have counterparts relevant in classical stochastic processes. In this talk I will focus on analogs to the quantum-mechanical Berry phase in simple Markovian models of stochastic systems. I will present the established framework for chemical kinetics and summarize proposed applications to molecular motors.