Related papers: Work and energy in rotating systems
In this paper we give a pedagogical introduction to the ideas of quantum thermodynamics and work fluctuations, using only basic concepts from quantum and statistical mechanics. After reviewing the concept of work, as usually taught in…
We treat a quantum mechanical system with certain general properties which are expected to be common in macroscopic quantum systems. Starting from a PURE initial state (which may not describe an equilibrium) in which energy is mildly…
Based on a tentative interpretation of gravity as a pressure force, a scalar theory of gravity was previously investigated. It assumes gravitational contraction (dilation) of space (time) standards. In the static case, the same Newton law…
Inertial effects can affect several properties of physical systems. In particular, in the context of quantum mechanics, such effects have been studied in diverse contexts. In this paper, starting from the Schr\"{o}dinger equation for a…
Thermodynamics at the nanoscale is known to differ significantly from its familiar macroscopic counterpart: the possibility of state transitions is not determined by free energy alone, but by an infinite family of free-energy-like…
Engines are systems and devices that convert one form of energy into another, typically into a more useful form that can perform work. In the classical setup, physical, chemical, and biological engines largely involve the conversion of heat…
States of particles with negative energies are considered for the nonrelativistic and relativistic cases. In nonrelativistic case it is shown that the decays close to the attracting center can lead to the situation similar to the Penrose…
The Fluctuation Theorems are a group of exact relations that remain valid irrespective of how far the system has been driven away from equilibrium. Other than having practical applications, like determination of equilibrium free energy…
We present a critical analysis of the classical approaches to energy subjects, based on the work-energy theorem and the conservation of mechanical energy proposed in the courses of the first years of tertiary education. We show how these…
The non-relativistic interacting electron gas in an external field of positively charged massive cores is dealt with in the scheme of second quantization. Ladder operators that change between stationary states of contiguous energy…
By computing the local energy expectation values with respect to some local measurement basis we show that for any quantum system there are two fundamentally different contributions: changes in energy that do not alter the local von Neumann…
Liu procedure is applied to a first order weakly nonlocal special relativistic fluid. It is shown, that a reasonable relativistic theory is and extended one, where the basic state space contains the momentum density. This property follows…
Based only on classical Hamiltonian dynamics, we prove the maximum work principle in a system where macroscopic dynamical degrees of freedom are intrinsically coupled to microscopic degrees of freedom. Unlike recent identities between…
Newtons Laws of Motion form the basis of classical mechanics, but misconceptions about their interrelationships persist in pedagogy. A prevalent misunderstanding is that Newtons First Law is a trivial consequence of the Second Law. This…
Recent research on the thermodynamic arrow of time, at the microscopic scale, has questioned the universality of its direction. Theoretical studies showed that quantum correlations can be used to revert the natural heat flow (from the hot…
We investigate torsion and noninertial effects on a spin-$1/2$ quantum particle in the nonrelativistic limit of the Dirac equation. We consider the cosmic dislocation spacetime as a background and show that a rotating system of reference…
We present a new derivation of the expressions for momentum and energy of a relativistic particle. In contrast to the procedures commonly adopted in textbooks, the one suggested here requires only the knowledge of the composition law for…
The operational approach to time is a cornerstone of relativistic theories, as evidenced by the notion of proper time. In standard quantum mechanics, however, time is an external parameter. Recently, many attempts have been made to extend…
For a relativistic particle moving in the presence of mean scalar and vector fields, the energy at second order in the scalar field is shown to contain two contributions in general. One is a momentum-dependent repulsive interaction…
Even after over 150 years of discussion, the interpretation of the second law of thermodynamics continues to be a source of confusion and controversy in physics. This confusion has been accentuated by recent challenges to the second law and…