Fraser, James D. (2016) Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking in Finite Systems. Philosophy of Science, 83. pp. 585-605.
|
Text
Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking in Finite Systems Final.pdf Download (456kB) | Preview |
Abstract
The orthodox characterisation of spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) in statistical mechanics appeals to novel properties of systems with infinite degrees of freedom, namely the existence of multiple equilibrium states. This raises the same puzzles about the status of the thermodynamic limit fuelling recent debates about phase transitions. I argue here that there are prospects of explaining the success of the standard approach to SSB in terms of the properties of large finite systems and consequently, despite initial appearances, the need to account for SSB phenomena does not offer decisive support to claims about the explanatory and representational indispensability of the thermodynamic limit.
| Export/Citation: | EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL |
| Social Networking: |
| Item Type: | Published Article or Volume | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creators: |
|
||||||
| Keywords: | Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking, Statistical Mechanics, Idealization, Explanation | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Explanation General Issues > Models and Idealization Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics |
||||||
| Depositing User: | Mr James Fraser | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 23 Oct 2017 00:04 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 23 Oct 2017 00:04 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 14046 | ||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Philosophy of Science | ||||||
| Publisher: | University of Chicago Press | ||||||
| DOI or Unique Handle: | https://doi.org/10.1086/687263 | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Explanation General Issues > Models and Idealization Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics |
||||||
| Date: | October 2016 | ||||||
| Page Range: | pp. 585-605 | ||||||
| Volume: | 83 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/14046 |
Monthly Views for the past 3 years
Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years
Plum Analytics
Altmetric.com
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
![[feed]](http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/style/images/feed-icon-32x32.png){kind=icon}