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Thermodynamic Constraints on Fluctuation Phenomena

Maroney, Owen (2009) Thermodynamic Constraints on Fluctuation Phenomena. [Preprint]

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Abstract

The relationships between reversible Carnot cycles, the absence of perpetual motion machines and the existence of a non-decreasing, globally unique entropy function forms the starting point of many textbook presentations of the foundations of thermodynamics. However, the thermal fluctuation phenomena associated with statistical mechanics has been argued to restrict the domain of validity of this basis of the second law of thermodynamics. Here we demonstrate that fluctuation phenomena can be incorporated into the traditional presentation, extending, rather than restricting, the domain of validity of the phenomenologically motivated second law. Consistency conditions lead to constraints upon the possible spectrum of thermal fluctuations. In a special case this uniquely selects the Gibbs canonical distribution and more generally incorporates the Tsallis distributions. No particular model of microscopic dynamics need be assumed.


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Item Type: Preprint
Creators:
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Maroney, Owen
Additional Information: Phys Rev E v80 n6 (2009)
Keywords: thermodynamics, entropy, fluctuations, statistical mechanics
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics
Depositing User: Owen Maroney
Date Deposited: 11 Dec 2009
Last Modified: 07 Oct 2010 15:19
Item ID: 5025
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics
Date: December 2009
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/5025

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