Related papers: Using the Carnot cycle to determine changes of the…
The Clausius inequality for closed systems was deduced from the Riemann integration of closed Carnot cycle loops for irreversible transitions. The corresponding inequalities for the recently developed open system Carnot cycles are derived…
We discuss a simple toy model which allows, in a natural way, for deriving central facts from thermodynamics such as its fundamental laws, including Carnot's version of the second principle. Our viewpoint represents thermodynamic systems as…
By combining different ideas, a general and efficient protocol to deal with discontinuous phase transitions at low temperatures is proposed. For small $T$'s, it is possible to derive a generic analytic expression for appropriate order…
We present the exact theory of quantum engines whose working medium is a network of driven oscillators performing an arbitrary cyclic process while coupled to thermal and nonthermal reservoirs. We show that when coupled to a single…
The second law of thermodynamics is a fundamental law of Nature. It is almost universally associated with the Clausius inequality that lower bounds a change in entropy by the ratio of supplied heat and temperature. However, this result…
A quantum-mechanical analog of the Carnot engine reversibly working at vanishing temperature, shortly termed the quantum-mechanical Carnot engine, is discussed. A general formula for the efficiency of such an engine with an arbitrary…
The contributions of heat and work in generating a new surface area are considered. Unlike the classical theory of vapor/droplet equilibrium, which associates changing surface areas with work done against the surface tension, an alternative…
Phase transitions of first and second order can easily be distinguished in small systems in the microcanonical ensemble. Configurations of phase coexistence, which are suppressed in the canonical formulation, carry important information…
We report two results complementing the second law of thermodynamics for Markovian open quantum systems coupled to multiple reservoirs with different temperatures and chemical potentials. First, we derive a nonequilibrium free energy…
Fluctuation theorems are fundamental extensions of the second law of thermodynamics for small nonequilibrium systems. While work and heat are equally important forms of energy exchange, fluctuation relations have not been experimentally…
Under disturbances, superconductors may experience sudden, most undesirable phase transitions (quench) from superconducting to normal conducting state. Quench may lead to damage or even to catastrophic conductor failure. A superconductor is…
A thermodynamically consistent framework able to model either diffusive and displacive phase transitions is proposed. The first law of thermodynamics, the balance of linear momentum equation and the Cahn-Hilliard equation for solute mass…
We revisit the relationship between the Nernst theorem and the Kelvin-Planck statement of the second law. We propose that the exchange of entropy uniformly vanishes as the temperature goes to zero. The analysis of this assumption shows that…
The efficiency of macroscopic heat engines is restricted by the second law of thermodynamics. They can reach at most the efficiency of a Carnot engine. In contrast, heat currents in mesoscopic heat engines show fluctuations. Thus, there is…
The temperature in the transient climate response is lower than the equilibrium temperature for the same amount of forcing. The degree of disequilibrium is not constant in time and depends on various climate parameters. We derive intuition…
A thermomechanical model of continuous fluid media based on second gradient theory is used to study motions in liquid-vapor interfaces. At equilibrium, the model is shown to be equivalent to mean-field molecular theories of capillarity. In…
The magnetic field and temperature dependencies of the magnetic moments of superconducting crystals of ${\rm V_{3}Si}$ have been studied. In a constant magnetic field and at temperatures somewhat below the superconducting transition…
Adding activity or driving to a thermal system may modify its phase diagram and response functions. We study that effect for a Curie-Weiss model where the thermal bath switches rapidly between two temperatures. The critical temperature…
We systematically explore and show the existence of finite-temperature continuous quantum phase transition (CTQPT) at a critical point, namely, during solidification or melting such that the first-order thermal phase transition is a special…
The second law of thermodynamics implies a relationship between the net entropy export by the Earth and its internal irreversible entropy production. The application of this constraint for the purpose of understanding Earth's climate is…