Riemannian geometry of thermodynamics and systems with repulsive power-law interactions

Thermodynamic Black Holes

Black holes pose great difficulties for theory since gravity and quantum theory must be combined in some as yet unknown way. An additional difficulty is that detailed black hole observational data to guide theorists is lacking. In this paper, I sidestep the difficulties of combining gravity and quantum theory by employing black hole thermodynamics augmented by ideas from the information geometry of thermodynamics. I propose a purely thermodynamic agenda for choosing correct candidate black hole thermodynamic scaled equations of state, parameterized by two exponents. These two adjustable exponents may be set to accommodate additional black hole information, either from astrophysical observations or from some microscopic theory, such as string theory. My approach assumes implicitly that the as yet unknown microscopic black hole constituents have strong effective interactions between them, of a type found in critical phenomena. In this picture, the details of the microscopic interaction forces are not important, and the essential macroscopic picture emerges from general assumptions about the number of independent thermodynamic variables, types of critical points, boundary conditions, and analyticity. I use the simple Kerr and Reissner-Nordström black holes for guidance, and find candidate equations of state that embody several the features of these purely gravitational models. My approach may offer a productive new way to select black hole thermodynamic equations of state representing both gravitational and quantum properties.

Thermodynamic curvature of soft-sphere fluids and solids

The influence of the strength of repulsion between particles on the thermodynamic curvature scalar R for the fluid and solid states is investigated for particles interacting with the inverse power (r^{-n}) potential, where r is the pair separation and 1/n is the softness. Exact results are obtained for R in certain limiting cases, and the R behavior determined for the systems in the fluid and solid phases. It is found that in such systems the thermodynamic curvature can be positive for very soft particles, negative for steeply repulsive (or large n) particles across almost the entire density range, and can change sign between negative and positive at a certain density. The relationship between R and the form of the interaction potential is more complex than previously suggested, and it may be that R is an indicator of the relative importance of energy and entropy contributions to the thermodynamic properties of the system.

Riemannian geometry study of vapor-liquid phase equilibria and supercritical behavior of the Lennard-Jones fluid

The behavior of thermodynamic response functions and the thermodynamic scalar curvature in the supercritical region have been studied for a Lennard-Jones fluid based on a revised modified Benedict-Webb-Rubin equation of state. Response function extrema are sometimes used to estimate the Widom line, which is characterized by the maxima of the correlation lengths. We calculated the Widom line for the Lennard-Jones fluid without using any response function extrema. Since the volume of the correlation length is proportional to the Riemannian thermodynamic scalar curvature, the locus of the Widom line follows the slope of maximum curvature. We show that the slope of the Widom line follows the slope of the isobaric heat capacity maximum only in the close vicinity of the critical point and that, therefore, the use of response function extrema in this context is problematic. Furthermore, we constructed the vapor-liquid coexistence line for the Lennard-Jones fluid using the fact that the correlation length, and therefore the thermodynamic scalar curvature, must be equal in the two coexisting phases. We compared the resulting phase envelope with those from simulation data where multiple histogram reweighting was used and found striking agreement between the two methods.

Current trends in finite-time thermodynamics

The cornerstone of finite-time thermodynamics is all about the price of haste and how to minimize it. Reversible processes may be ultimately efficient, but they are unrealistically slow. In all situations-chemical, mechanical, economical-we pay extra to get the job done quickly. Finite-time thermodynamics can be used to develop methods to limit that extra expenditure, be it in energy, entropy production, money, or something entirely different. Finite-time thermodynamics also includes methods to calculate the optimal path or mode of operation to achieve this minimal expenditure. The concept is to place the system of interest in contact with a time-varying environment which will coax the system along the desired path, much like guiding a horse along by waving a carrot in front of it.

Ruppeiner geometry of anyon gas

We derive the thermodynamic curvature of a two-dimensional ideal anyon gas of particles obeying fractional statistics. The statistical interactions of anyon gas can be attractive or repulsive. For attractive statistical interactions, thermodynamic curvature is positive and for repulsive statistical interactions, it is negative, which indicates a more stable anyon gas. There is a special case between the two where the thermodynamic curvature is zero. Small deviations from the classical limit will also be explored.