English

On geometry of phenomenological thermodynamics

Mathematical Physics 2018-07-25 v1 math.MP

Abstract

We present the formalism of phenomenological thermodynamics in terms of the even-dimensional symplectic geometry, and argue that it catches its geometric essence in a more profound and clearer way than the popular odd-dimensional contact structure description. Among the advantages are a number of conceptual clarifications: the geometric role of internal energy (not made as an independent variable), the lattice of potentials, and the gauge interpretation of the theory.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1807.08908,
  title  = {On geometry of phenomenological thermodynamics},
  author = {Jerzy Kocik},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1807.08908},
  year   = {2018}
}

Comments

16 pages, figures. A preprint version an article that appeared in "Symmetries in Science II," (B.Gruber, ed.), Plenum, New York, 1986, pp 279-287