Related papers: The controversial piston in the thermodynamic limi…
We consider the evolution of a system composed of $N$ non-interacting point particles of mass $m$ in a cylindrical container divided into two regions by a movable adiabatic wall (the adiabatic piston). We study the thermodynamic limit for…
We consider a one-dimensional system consisting of two infinite ideal fluids, with equal pressures but different temperatures T_1 and T_2, separated by an adiabatic movable piston whose mass M is much larger than the mass m of the fluid…
The time evolution of the adiabatic piston problem and the consequences of its stochastic motion are investigated. The model is a one dimensional piston of mass $M$ separating two ideal fluids made of point particles with mass $m\ll M$. For…
We investigate the evolution of a system composed of $N$ non-interacting point particles of mass $m$ in a container divided into two chambers by a movable adiabatic piston of mass $M\gg m$. Using a two-time-scale perturbation approach in…
We study a heavy piston of mass $M$ that separates finitely many ideal, unit mass gas particles moving in two or three dimensions. Neishtadt and Sinai previously determined a method for finding this system's averaged equation and showed…
We consider the dynamics of a freely movable wall of mass $M$ with one degree of freedom that separates a long tube into two regions, each of which is filled with rarefied gas particles of mass $m$. The gases are initially prepared at equal…
The adiabatic piston problem is solved at the mesoscale using a Kinetic Theory approach. The problem is to determine the evolution towards equilibrium of two gases separated by a wall with only one degree of freedom (the adiabatic piston).…
A detailed analysis of the adiabatic-piston problem reveals peculiar dynamical features that challenge the general belief that isolated systems necessarily reach a static equilibrium state. In particular, the fact that the piston behaves…
The piston problem is investigated in the case where the length of the cylinder is infinite (on both sides) and the ratio $m/M$ is a very small parameter, where $m$ is the mass of one particle of the gaz and $M$ is the mass of the piston.…
We study a heavy piston of mass $M$ that moves in one dimension. The piston separates two gas chambers, each of which contains finitely many ideal, unit mass gas particles moving in $d$ dimensions, where $ d\geq 1$. Using averaging…
The steady states of two gases of hard spheres or disks separated by an adiabatic piston in presence of a temperature gradient are discussed. The temperature field is generated by two thermal walls at different temperatures, each of them in…
The controversial problem of an isolated system with an internal adiabatic wall is investigated with the use of a simple microscopic model and the Boltzmann equation. In the case of two infinite volume one-dimensional ideal fluids separated…
We study a dynamical system consisting of a massive piston in a cubical container of large size $L$ filled with an ideal gas. The piston has mass $M\sim L^2$ and undergoes elastic collisions with $N\sim L^3$ non-interacting gas particles of…
A simplified version of a classical problem in thermodynamics -- the adiabatic piston -- is discussed in the framework of kinetic theory. We consider the limit of gases whose relaxation time is extremely fast so that the gases contained on…
A recent paper by Gislason published in Am. J. Phys. deals with the celebrated example of the so-called "adiabatic piston", a system involving two ideal gases contained in a horizontal cylinder and separated by an insulating piston that…
Two granular gases separated by an adiabatic piston and initially in the same macroscopic state are considered. It is found that a phase transition with an spontaneous symmetry breaking occurs. When the mass of the piston is increased…
A simplified, but non trivial, mechanical model -- gas of $N$ particles of mass $m$ in a box partitioned by $n$ mobile adiabatic walls of mass $M$ -- interacting with two thermal baths at different temperatures, is discussed in the…
The limits of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which reigns undisputed in the macroscopic world, are investigated at the mesoscopic level, corresponding to spatial dimensions of a few microns. An extremely simple isolated system, modeled…
We present a comparison between the random motion of an adiabatic and a diathermal piston sliding in a perfect gas. In particular, their dynamical behaviour, if investigated by means of Langevin's approach, shows the amplitude of the…
We have investigated the motion characteristics of a movable piston immersed in a one dimensional gas of hard rods by event-oriented molecular dynamics in the absence of thermal noise. Periodic and reflecting boundary conditions are…