Related papers: When Does a Boltzmannian Equilibrium Exist?
Relaxation dynamics of complex quantum systems with strong interactions towards the steady state is a fundamental problem in statistical mechanics. The steady state of subsystems weakly interacting with their environment is described by the…
In this paper, we study the Boltzmann equation in a close to the hydrodynamic limit regime, set in bounded spatial domains with non-isothermal Maxwell boundary conditions. We establish the existence, uniqueness, and asymptotic stability of…
In self-gravitating stars, two dimensional or geophysical flows and in plasmas, long range interactions imply a lack of additivity for the energy; as a consequence, the usual thermodynamic limit is not appropriate. However, by contrast with…
The Boltzmann distribution predicts the collective behavior of systems at thermodynamic equilibrium as a function of their constituent parts. Yet most systems in nature are not at equilibrium, and a unified theory of their behavior does not…
An equilibrium statistical system is known to be stable if the fluctuations of global observables are normal, when their dispersions are proportional to the number of particles, or to the system volume. A general theorem is rigorously…
Focusing on isolated macroscopic systems, described either in terms of a quantum mechanical or a classical model, our two key questions are: In how far does an initial ensemble (usually far from equilibrium and largely unknown in detail)…
Some deterministic cellular automata have been observed to follow the pattern of the second law of thermodynamics: starting from a partially disordered state, the system evolves towards a state of equilibrium characterized by maximal…
We use the work done on and the heat removed from a system to maintain it in a nonequilibrium steady state for a thermodynamic-like description of such a system as well as of its fluctuations. Based on a generalized Onsager-Machlup theory…
Boltzmann showed that in spite of momentum and energy redistribution through collisions, a rarefied gas confined in a isotropic harmonic trapping potential does not reach equilibrium; it evolves instead into a breathing mode where density,…
The relativistic Boltzmann equation for a single particle species generally implies a fixed, unchangeable equation of state that corresponds to that of an ideal gas. Real-world systems typically have more complicated equation of state which…
A fundamental question in many-body physics is how closed quantum systems reach equilibrium. We address this question experimentally and theoretically in an ultracold large-spin Fermi gas where we find a complex interplay between internal…
For a quantum system to be captured by a stationary statistical ensemble, as is common in thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, it is necessary that it reaches some apparently stationary state in the first place. In this book chapter,…
Equilibrium statistical mechanics provides powerful tools to understand physics at the macroscale. Yet, the question remains how this can be justified based on a microscopic quantum description. Here, we extend the ideas of pure state…
The nature of the behaviour of an isolated many-body quantum system periodically driven in time has been an open question since the beginning of quantum mechanics. After an initial transient, such a system is known to synchronize with the…
Ergodicity, this is to say, dynamics whose time averages coincide with ensemble averages, naturally leads to Boltzmann-Gibbs (BG) statistical mechanics, hence to standard thermodynamics. This formalism has been at the basis of an enormous…
We demonstrate the equilibration of isolated macroscopic quantum systems, prepared in non-equilibrium mixed states with significant population of many energy levels, and observed by instruments with a reasonably bound working range compared…
An open question in the field of non-equilibrium statistical physics is whether there exists a unique way through which non-equilibrium systems equilibrate irrespective of how far they are away from equilibrium. To answer this question we…
We consider a non-interacting one-dimensional gas accelerated by a constant and uniform external field. The energy absorbed from the field is transferred via elastic collisions to a bath of scattering obstacles. At gas-obstacle encounters…
In a recent article, Werndl and Frigg discuss the relationship between the Boltzmannian and Gibbsian framework of statistical mechanics, addressing in particular the question when equilibrium values calculated in both frameworks agree. In…
We consider a system of particles subjected to a uniform external force E and undergoing random collisions with "virtual" fixed obstacles, as in the Drude model of conductivity. The system is maintained in a nonequilibrium stationary state…