The Problem of Engines in Statistical Physics
Engines are open systems that can generate work cyclically at the expense of an external disequilibrium. They are ubiquitous in nature and technology, but the course of mathematical physics over the last 300 years has tended to make their dynamics in time a theoretical blind spot. This has hampered...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Entropy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/23/8/1095 |
| _version_ | 1797523894653943808 |
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| author | Robert Alicki David Gelbwaser-Klimovsky Alejandro Jenkins |
| author_facet | Robert Alicki David Gelbwaser-Klimovsky Alejandro Jenkins |
| author_sort | Robert Alicki |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Engines are open systems that can generate work cyclically at the expense of an external disequilibrium. They are ubiquitous in nature and technology, but the course of mathematical physics over the last 300 years has tended to make their dynamics in time a theoretical blind spot. This has hampered the usefulness of statistical mechanics applied to active systems, including living matter. We argue that recent advances in the theory of open quantum systems, coupled with renewed interest in understanding how active forces result from positive feedback between different macroscopic degrees of freedom in the presence of dissipation, point to a more realistic description of autonomous engines. We propose a general conceptualization of an engine that helps clarify the distinction between its heat and work outputs. Based on this, we show how the external loading force and the thermal noise may be incorporated into the relevant equations of motion. This modifies the usual Fokker–Planck and Langevin equations, offering a thermodynamically complete formulation of the irreversible dynamics of simple oscillating and rotating engines. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:49:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-474c7e9fa579428a9559c03466442f7f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1099-4300 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:49:36Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Entropy |
| spelling | doaj.art-474c7e9fa579428a9559c03466442f7f2023-11-22T07:36:13ZengMDPI AGEntropy1099-43002021-08-01238109510.3390/e23081095The Problem of Engines in Statistical PhysicsRobert Alicki0David Gelbwaser-Klimovsky1Alejandro Jenkins2International Centre for Theory of Quantum Technologies (ICTQT), University of Gdańsk, 80-308 Gdańsk, PolandPhysics of Living Systems, Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USAInternational Centre for Theory of Quantum Technologies (ICTQT), University of Gdańsk, 80-308 Gdańsk, PolandEngines are open systems that can generate work cyclically at the expense of an external disequilibrium. They are ubiquitous in nature and technology, but the course of mathematical physics over the last 300 years has tended to make their dynamics in time a theoretical blind spot. This has hampered the usefulness of statistical mechanics applied to active systems, including living matter. We argue that recent advances in the theory of open quantum systems, coupled with renewed interest in understanding how active forces result from positive feedback between different macroscopic degrees of freedom in the presence of dissipation, point to a more realistic description of autonomous engines. We propose a general conceptualization of an engine that helps clarify the distinction between its heat and work outputs. Based on this, we show how the external loading force and the thermal noise may be incorporated into the relevant equations of motion. This modifies the usual Fokker–Planck and Langevin equations, offering a thermodynamically complete formulation of the irreversible dynamics of simple oscillating and rotating engines.https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/23/8/1095open systemsthermodynamic cyclesfeedbacklimit cyclesmaster equationLangevin equation |
| spellingShingle | Robert Alicki David Gelbwaser-Klimovsky Alejandro Jenkins The Problem of Engines in Statistical Physics Entropy open systems thermodynamic cycles feedback limit cycles master equation Langevin equation |
| title | The Problem of Engines in Statistical Physics |
| title_full | The Problem of Engines in Statistical Physics |
| title_fullStr | The Problem of Engines in Statistical Physics |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Problem of Engines in Statistical Physics |
| title_short | The Problem of Engines in Statistical Physics |
| title_sort | problem of engines in statistical physics |
| topic | open systems thermodynamic cycles feedback limit cycles master equation Langevin equation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/23/8/1095 |
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