Related papers: Statistical Mechanics of Systems with Negative Tem…
Depending on the exact experimental conditions, the thermodynamic properties of physical systems can be related to one or more thermostatistical ensembles. Here, we survey the notion of thermodynamic temperature in different statistical…
We have known for more than thirty years that black holes behave as thermodynamic systems, radiating as black bodies with characteristic temperatures and entropies. This behavior is not only interesting in its own right; it could also,…
The existence of fluctuations of temperature has been a somewhat controversial topic in thermodynamics but nowadays it is recognized that they must be taken into account in small, finite systems. Although for nonequilibrium steady states…
The second law of thermodynamics states that entropy production in macroscopic systems is non-negative, reaching zero only at thermodynamic equilibrium. As a corollary, this implies that the state trajectory of macroscopic systems is…
We establish three partial differential equation models describing the thermodynamics of the fluid, by combining the energetic variational approach, appropriate constitutive relations, and classical thermodynamics laws. What is more, by…
Entropy is the distinguishing and most important concept of our efforts to understand and regularize our observations of a very large class of natural phenomena, and yet, it is one of the most contentious concepts of physics. In this…
In statistical mechanics the zeroth law of thermodynamics is taken as a postulate which, as its name indicates, logically precedes the first and second laws. Treating it as a postulate has consequences for how temperature is introduced into…
We review two definitions of temperature in statistical mechanics, $T_B$ and $T_G$, corresponding to two possible definitions of entropy, $S_B$ and $S_G$, known as surface and volume entropy respectively. We restrict our attention to a…
Entropy is one of the key thermodynamic variables reflecting changes in the state of matter. Unlike other thermodynamic variables, it is well-defined also for nonequilibrium steady states through its relation to information. Applying this…
Statistical thermodynamics is valuable as a conceptual structure that shapes our thinking about equilibrium thermodynamic states. A cloud of unresolved questions surrounding the foundations of the theory could lead an impartial observer to…
It is a common view in philosophy of physics that thermodynamics is a non-fundamental theory. This is motivated in particular by the fact that thermodynamics is considered to be a paradigmatic example for a theory that can be reduced to…
Statistical formulations of thermodynamic entropy, such as those by Boltzmann and Gibbs, were originally developed for classical systems and are well understood in that context. However, the foundational aspects of quantum statistical…
Stochastic thermodynamics is formulated under the assumption of perfect knowledge of all thermodynamic parameters. However, in any real-world experiment, there is non-zero uncertainty about the precise value of temperatures, chemical…
'Relativistic thermodynamics' should be understood not as a generalization of a non-relativistic theory but as an application of a general thermodynamic framework, neutral as to spacetime setting and allowing arbitrary conserved quantities,…
Although Boltzmann's definition of entropy, and, hence, the existence of negative temperatures, are widely accepted, we will show scenarios which apparently at a first glance are inconsistent with our normal notion of thermodynamics. This…
We show how statistical thermodynamics can be formulated in situations in which thermodynamics applies, while equilibrium statistical mechanics does not. A typical case is, in the words of Landau and Lifshitz, that of partial (or…
Recent theoretical studies of statistical mechanical properties of systems with long range interactions are briefly reviewed. In these systems the interaction potential decays with a rate slower than 1/r^d at large distances r in d…
Reciprocal relations correlate fairly accurately a great variety of experimental results. Nevertheless, the concepts of statistical fluctuations, and microscopic reversibility - the bases of the accepted proof of the relations by Onsager -…
Conventional thermo-statistics address infinite homogeneous systems within the canonical ensemble. (Only in this case this is equivalent to the fundamental microcanonical ensemble.) However, some 170 years ago the original motivation of…
The limit of small entropy production is reached in relaxing systems long after preparation, and in stationary driven systems in the limit of small driving power. Surprisingly, for extended systems this limit is not in general the…