Thermodynamic laws in isolated systems

Entropy and temperature in finite isolated quantum systems

We investigate how the temperature calculated from the microcanonical entropy compares with the canonical temperature for finite isolated quantum systems. We concentrate on systems with sizes that make them accessible to numerical exact diagonalization. We thus characterize the deviations from ensemble equivalence at finite sizes. We describe multiple ways to compute the microcanonical entropy and present numerical results for the entropy and temperature computed in these various ways. We show that using an energy window whose width has a particular energy dependence results in a temperature with minimal deviations from the canonical temperature.

Operational Definition of the Temperature of a Quantum State

Temperature is usually defined for physical systems at thermal equilibrium. Nevertheless one may wonder if it would be possible to attribute a meaningful notion of temperature to an arbitrary quantum state, beyond simply the thermal (Gibbs) state. In this Letter, we propose such a notion of temperature considering an operational task, inspired by the zeroth law of thermodynamics. Specifically, we define two effective temperatures for quantifying the ability of a quantum system to cool down or heat up a thermal environment. In this way we can associate an operationally meaningful notion of temperature to any quantum density matrix. We provide general expressions for these effective temperatures, for both single- and many-copy systems, establishing connections to concepts previously discussed in the literature. Finally, we consider a more sophisticated scenario where the heat exchange between the system and the thermal environment is assisted by a quantum reference frame. This leads to an effect of "coherent quantum catalysis," where the use of a coherent catalyst allows for exploiting quantum energetic coherences in the system, now leading to much colder or hotter effective temperatures. We demonstrate our findings using a two-level atom coupled to a single mode of the electromagnetic field.

Canonical Density Matrices from Eigenstates of Mixed Systems

One key issue of the foundation of statistical mechanics is the emergence of equilibrium ensembles in isolated and closed quantum systems. Recently, it was predicted that in the thermodynamic (N→∞) limit of large quantum many-body systems, canonical density matrices emerge for small subsystems from almost all pure states. This notion of canonical typicality is assumed to originate from the entanglement between subsystem and environment and the resulting intrinsic quantum complexity of the many-body state. For individual eigenstates, it has been shown that local observables show thermal properties provided the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis holds, which requires the system to be quantum-chaotic. In the present paper, we study the emergence of thermal states in the regime of a quantum analog of a mixed phase space. Specifically, we study the emergence of the canonical density matrix of an impurity upon reduction from isolated energy eigenstates of a large but finite quantum system the impurity is embedded in. Our system can be tuned by means of a single parameter from quantum integrability to quantum chaos and corresponds in between to a system with mixed quantum phase space. We show that the probability for finding a canonical density matrix when reducing the ensemble of energy eigenstates of the finite many-body system can be quantitatively controlled and tuned by the degree of quantum chaos present. For the transition from quantum integrability to quantum chaos, we find a continuous and universal (i.e., size-independent) relation between the fraction of canonical eigenstates and the degree of chaoticity as measured by the Brody parameter or the Shannon entropy.

Defining the temperature of an isolated molecule

The microcanonical temperature of an isolated molecule is derived in terms of Boltzmann and Gibbs volume entropies within the quantum harmonic vibrational and equivalent degenerated model approximations. The effects of the entropy functional choice and various approximations are examined. The difference between Boltzmann and Gibbs volume temperatures is negligible for molecules bigger than ten atoms. However, it is significant for smaller systems, opening a way to probe them experimentally. A simple, analytical expression of the temperature as a function of the vibrational energy is provided, allowing predictions with a ±3% margin of error compared to the exact harmonic estimate. The microcanonical temperature is discussed and exemplified with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules and other molecules of astrophysical interest.

The numerical study of pressure and temperature effects on mechanical properties of baghdadite-based nanostructure: molecular dynamics simulation

Bioceramics have been commonly implemented to replace and restore hard tissues such as teeth and bones in recent years. Among different bioceramics, Baghdadite (BAG) has high bioactivity due to its ability to form apatite and stimulate cell proliferation. So, this structure is used widely for medical applications to treat bone-based diseases. Physically, we expect changes in temperature and pressure to affect the Baghdadite-based nanostructure's mechanical behaviour. So, in this computational study, we report the pressure/temperature effect on Baghdadite matrix with nanoscale size by using Molecular Dynamics (MD) approach. To this end, physical values like the total energy, temperature, final strength (FS), stress-strain curve, potential energy, and Young's modulus (YM) are reported. Simulation results indicated the mechanical properties of Baghdadite (BAG) nanostructure weakened by temperature and pressure increase. Numerically, the FS and YM of the defined structure reach 131.40 MPa/159.43 MPa, and 115.15 MPa/139.72 MPa with temperature/pressure increasing. Therefore, the increase in initial pressure and temperature leads to a decrease in the mechanical properties of nanostructures. These results indicate the importance of the initial condition in the Baghdadite-based nanostructures' mechanical behaviour that must be considered in clinical applications.

Rigorous expressions for thermodynamic properties in the NpH ensemble

Molecular expressions for thermodynamic properties of fluids and derivatives of the entropy up to third order in the isoenthalpic-isobaric ensemble are derived by using the methodology developed by Lustig for the microcanonical and canonical ensembles [J. Chem. Phys. 100, 3048 (1994)JCPSA60021-960610.1063/1.466446; Mol. Phys. 110, 3041 (2012)MOPHAM0026-897610.1080/00268976.2012.695032]. They are expressed in a systematic way by phase-space functions, which represent derivatives of the phase-space volume with respect to enthalpy and pressure. The expressions for thermodynamic properties contain only ensemble averages of combinations of the kinetic energy and volume of the system. Thus, the calculation of thermodynamic properties in the isoenthalpic-isobaric ensemble does not require volume derivatives of the potential energy. This is particularly advantageous in Monte Carlo simulations when the interactions between molecules are described by very accurate ab initio pair and nonadditive three-body potentials. The derived expressions are validated by Monte Carlo simulations for the simple Lennard-Jones model fluid as a test case.

Quasistatic work processes: When slowness implies certainty

Two approaches are outlined to characterize the fluctuation behavior of work applied to a system by a slow change of a parameter. One approach uses the adiabatic theorems of quantum and classical mechanics, and the other one is based on the behavior of the correlations of the generalized coordinate that is conjugate to the changed parameter. Criteria are obtained under which the work done on small thermally isolated as well as on open systems ceases to fluctuate in a quasistatic process.

The investigation of energy management and atomic interaction between coronavirus structure in the vicinity of aqueous environment of H2O molecules via molecular dynamics approach

The coronavirus pandemic is caused by intense acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Identifying the atomic structure of this virus can lead to the treatment of related diseases in medical cases. In the current computational study, the atomic evolution of the coronavirus in an aqueous environment using the Molecular Dynamics (MD) approach is explained. The virus behaviors by reporting the physical attributes such as total energy, temperature, potential energy, interaction energy, volume, entropy, and radius of gyration of the modeled virus are reported. The MD results indicated the atomic stability of the simulated virus significantly reduced after 25.33 ns. Furthermore, the volume of simulated virus changes from 182397 Å³ to 372589 Å³ after t = 30 ns. This result shows the atomic interaction between various atoms in coronavirus structure decreases in the vicinity of H₂O molecules. Numerically, the interaction energy between virus and aqueous environment converges to −12387 eV and −251 eV values in the initial and final time steps of the MD study procedure, respectively.

Fermi's Golden Rule for Spontaneous Emission in Absorptive and Amplifying Media

We demonstrate a fundamental breakdown of the photonic spontaneous emission (SE) formula derived from Fermi's golden rule, in absorptive and amplifying media, where one assumes the SE rate scales with the local photon density of states, an approach often used in more complex, semiclassical nanophotonics simulations. Using a rigorous quantization of the macroscopic Maxwell equations in the presence of arbitrary linear media, we derive a corrected Fermi's golden rule and master equation for a quantum two-level system (TLS) that yields a quantum pumping term and a modified decay rate that is net positive. We show rigorous numerical results of the temporal dynamics of the TLS for an example of two coupled microdisk resonators, forming a gain-loss medium, and demonstrate the clear failure of the commonly adopted formulas based solely on the local density of states.

Non-Clausius heat transfer: The method of the nonstationary Langevin equation

Compared to other formulations of the second law of thermodynamics, the Clausius statement that heat does not spontaneously flow from cold to hot concerns a system in nonequilibrium states, and in that respect is more ambitious but also more ambiguous. We discuss two scenarios when the Clausius statement in its plain form does not hold. First, for ergodic systems, the energy transfer may be consistent with the statement on a coarse-grained timescale, but be anomalously directed during time intervals shorter than the thermalization time. In particular, when an initially colder system is brought in contact to a hotter bath, the internal energy of the former increases with time in a long run but not monotonically. Second, the heat transfer may not respect the Clausius statement on any timescale in nonergodic systems due to the formation of localized vibrational modes. We illustrate the two scenarios with a familiar model of an isotope atom attached to a semi-infinite harmonic atomic chain. Technically, the discussion is based on a Langevin equation for the isotope, using the initial condition when the isotope and chain are initially prepared in uncorrelated canonical states under the constraint that the boundary atom between the isotope and chain is initially fixed and later released. In such setting, the noise in the Langevin equation is nonstationary, and the fluctuation-dissipation relation has a nonstandard form.

Analytical measure of temperature for nonlinear dynamical systems

We present an analytical approach for measuring the temperature of nonlinear dynamical systems in the microcanonical ensemble. Via the self-consistent phonon theory, one can analytically obtain the temperature with respect to the internal energy density in a canonical way. We show how that provides a measure of temperature in the microcanonical ensemble, under the hypothesis of ensemble equivalence. Two models, the FPU-β and ϕ^{4} lattices, are studied obtaining results consistent with those derived from time averages along trajectories in the phase space. Furthermore, our approach is corroborated by the fact that temperature obtained in terms of the average energy density after thermalization agrees with the thermostat temperature. The hypothesis is validated via examining the energy distribution for different numbers of particles in the canonical ensemble. Further, we have quantified the corresponding finite size effects. Unlike other existing methods, which require time-consuming computations, our analytical approach performance improves with the number of particles.

Efficiency of a Quantum Otto Heat Engine Operating under a Reservoir at Effective Negative Temperatures

We perform an experiment in which a quantum heat engine works under two reservoirs, one at a positive spin temperature and the other at an effective negative spin temperature, i.e., when the spin system presents population inversion. We show that the efficiency of this engine can be greater than that when both reservoirs are at positive temperatures. We also demonstrate the counterintuitive result that the Otto efficiency can be beaten only when the quantum engine is operating in the finite-time mode.

Violation of the temperature-signifies-heat-flow rule in systems with long-range interactions

For a long-range interacting spin chain model, the microcanonical ensemble predicts a region of negative specific heat and a temperature jump at the transition energy. After two similar long-range interacting subsystems of different size at different temperatures are weakly coupled, they exchange energy and the total microcanonical entropy of the full system increases irreversibly. The hot subsystem could spontaneously absorb heat from the cold subsystem via the thermal contact and the final equilibrium temperature could be lower than the initial temperatures of the cold subsystem. This result is confirmed by numerical simulations using the microcanonical Monte Carlo algorithm.

Strong coupling and non-Markovian effects in the statistical notion of temperature

We investigate the emergence of temperature T in the system-plus-reservoir paradigm starting from the fundamental microcanonical scenario at total fixed energy E where, contrary to the canonical approach, T=T(E) is not a control parameter but a derived auxiliary concept. As shown by Schwinger for the regime of weak coupling γ between subsystems, T(E) emerges from the saddle-point analysis leading to the ensemble equivalence up to corrections O(1/sqrt[N]) in the number of particles N that defines the thermodynamic limit. By extending these ideas for finite γ, while keeping N→∞, we provide a consistent generalization of temperature T(E,γ) in strongly coupled systems, and we illustrate its main features for the specific model of quantum Brownian motion where it leads to consistent microcanonical thermodynamics. Interestingly, while this T(E,γ) is a monotonically increasing function of the total energy E, its dependence with γ is a purely quantum effect notably visible near the ground-state energy and for large energies differs for Markovian and non-Markovian regimes.

Statistical mechanics of systems with long-range interactions and negative absolute temperature

A Hamiltonian model living in a bounded phase space and with long-range interactions is studied. It is shown, by analytical computations, that there exists an energy interval in which the microcanonical entropy is a decreasing convex function of the total energy, meaning that ensemble equivalence is violated in a negative-temperature regime. The equilibrium properties of the model are then investigated by molecular dynamics simulations: first, the caloric curve is reconstructed for the microcanonical ensemble and compared to the analytical prediction, and a generalized Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution for the momenta is observed; then the nonequivalence between the microcanonical and canonical descriptions is explicitly shown. Moreover, the validity of the Fluctuation-Dissipation Theorem is verified through a numerical study, also at negative temperature and in the region where the two ensembles are nonequivalent.

Complete analysis of ensemble inequivalence in the Blume-Emery-Griffiths model

We study inequivalence of canonical and microcanonical ensembles in the mean-field Blume-Emery-Griffiths model. This generalizes previous results obtained for the Blume-Capel model. The phase diagram strongly depends on the value of the biquadratic exchange interaction K, the additional feature present in the Blume-Emery-Griffiths model. At small values of K, as for the Blume-Capel model, lines of first- and second-order phase transitions between a ferromagnetic and a paramagnetic phase are present, separated by a tricritical point whose location is different in the two ensembles. At higher values of K the phase diagram changes substantially, with the appearance of a triple point in the canonical ensemble, which does not find any correspondence in the microcanonical ensemble. Moreover, one of the first-order lines that starts from the triple point ends in a critical point, whose position in the phase diagram is different in the two ensembles. This line separates two paramagnetic phases characterized by a different value of the quadrupole moment. These features were not previously studied for other models and substantially enrich the landscape of ensemble inequivalence, identifying new aspects that had been discussed in a classification of phase transitions based on singularity theory. Finally, we discuss ergodicity breaking, which is highlighted by the presence of gaps in the accessible values of magnetization at low energies: it also displays new interesting patterns that are not present in the Blume-Capel model.

Equilibration of energy in slow-fast systems

Ergodicity is a fundamental requirement for a dynamical system to reach a state of statistical equilibrium. However, in systems with several characteristic timescales, the ergodicity of the fast subsystem impedes the equilibration of the whole system because of the presence of an adiabatic invariant. In this paper, we show that violation of ergodicity in the fast dynamics can drive the whole system to equilibrium. To show this principle, we investigate the dynamics of springy billiards, which are mechanical systems composed of a small particle bouncing elastically in a bounded domain, where one of the boundary walls has finite mass and is attached to a linear spring. Numerical simulations show that the springy billiard systems approach equilibrium at an exponential rate. However, in the limit of vanishing particle-to-wall mass ratio, the equilibration rates remain strictly positive only when the fast particle dynamics reveal two or more ergodic components for a range of wall positions. For this case, we show that the slow dynamics of the moving wall can be modeled by a random process. Numerical simulations of the corresponding springy billiards and their random models show equilibration with similar positive rates.

Internal temperature of quantum chaotic systems at the nanoscale

The extent to which a temperature can be appropriately assigned to a small quantum system, as an internal property but not as a property of any large environment, is still an open problem. In this paper, a method is proposed for solving this problem, by which a studied small system is coupled to a two-level system as a probe, the latter of which can be measured by measurement devices. A main difficulty in the determination of possible temperature of the studied system comes from the back-action of the probe-system coupling to the system. For small quantum chaotic systems, we show that a temperature can be determined, the value of which is sensitive to neither the form, location, and strength of the probe-system coupling, nor the Hamiltonian and initial state of the probe. The temperature thus obtained turns out to have the form of Boltzmann temperature.

Phase transitions at high energy vindicate negative microcanonical temperature

The notion of negative absolute temperature emerges naturally from Boltzmann's definition of "surface" microcanonical entropy in isolated systems with a bounded energy density. Recently, the well-posedness of such construct has been challenged, on account that only the Gibbs "volume" entropy-and the strictly positive temperature thereof-would give rise to a consistent thermodynamics. Here we present analytical and numerical evidence that Boltzmann microcanonical entropy provides a consistent thermometry for both signs of the temperature. In particular, we show that Boltzmann (negative) temperature allows the description of phase transitions occurring at high energy densities, at variance with Gibbs temperature. Our results apply to nonlinear lattice models standardly employed to describe the propagation of light in arrays of coupled wave guides and the dynamics of ultracold gases trapped in optical lattices. Optically induced photonic lattices, characterized by saturable nonlinearity, are particularly appealing because they offer the possibility of observing states and phase transitions at both signs of the temperature.

Canonical free-energy barrier of particle and polymer cluster formation

A common approach to study nucleation rates is the estimation of free-energy barriers. This usually requires knowledge about the shape of the forming droplet, a task that becomes notoriously difficult in macromolecular setups starting with a proper definition of the cluster boundary. Here we demonstrate a shape-free determination of the free energy for temperature-driven cluster formation in particle as well as polymer systems. Combined with rigorous results on equilibrium droplet formation, this allows for a well-defined finite-size scaling analysis of the effective interfacial free energy at a fixed density. We first verify the theoretical predictions for the formation of a liquid droplet in a supersaturated particle gas by generalized-ensemble Monte Carlo simulations of a Lennard-Jones system. Going one step further, we then generalize this approach to cluster formation in a dilute polymer solution. Our results suggest an analogy with particle condensation, when the macromolecules are interpreted as extended particles.

Merits and qualms of work fluctuations in classical fluctuation theorems

Work is one of the most basic notions in statistical mechanics, with work fluctuation theorems being one central topic in nanoscale thermodynamics. With Hamiltonian chaos commonly thought to provide a foundation for classical statistical mechanics, here we present general salient results regarding how (classical) Hamiltonian chaos generically impacts on nonequilibrium work fluctuations. For isolated chaotic systems prepared with a microcanonical distribution, work fluctuations are minimized and vanish altogether in adiabatic work protocols. For isolated chaotic systems prepared at an initial canonical distribution at inverse temperature β, work fluctuations depicted by the variance of e^{-βW} are also minimized by adiabatic work protocols. This general result indicates that, if the variance of e^{-βW} diverges for an adiabatic work protocol, it diverges for all nonadiabatic work protocols sharing the same initial and final Hamiltonians. Such divergence is hence not an isolated event and thus greatly impacts on the efficiency of using Jarzynski's equality to simulate free-energy differences. Theoretical results are illustrated in a Sinai model. Our general insights shall boost studies in nanoscale thermodynamics and are of fundamental importance in designing useful work protocols.

Physics of negative absolute temperatures

Negative absolute temperatures were introduced into experimental physics by Purcell and Pound, who successfully applied this concept to nuclear spins; nevertheless, the concept has proved controversial: a recent article aroused considerable interest by its claim, based on a classical entropy formula (the "volume entropy") due to Gibbs, that negative temperatures violated basic principles of statistical thermodynamics. Here we give a thermodynamic analysis that confirms the negative-temperature interpretation of the Purcell-Pound experiments. We also examine the principal arguments that have been advanced against the negative temperature concept; we find that these arguments are not logically compelling, and moreover that the underlying "volume" entropy formula leads to predictions inconsistent with existing experimental results on nuclear spins. We conclude that, despite the counterarguments, negative absolute temperatures make good theoretical sense and did occur in the experiments designed to produce them.

Quantum statistics of classical particles derived from the condition of a free diffusion coefficient

We derive an equation for the current of particles in energy space; particles are subject to a mean-field effective potential that may represent quantum effects. From the assumption that noninteracting particles imply a free diffusion coefficient in energy space, we derive Maxwell-Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac, and Bose-Einstein statistics. Other new statistics are associated to a free diffusion coefficient; their thermodynamic properties are analyzed using the grand partition function. A negative relation between pressure and energy density for low temperatures can be derived, suggesting a possible connection with cosmological dark energy models.

Statistical entropy of open quantum systems

Dissipative quantum systems are frequently described within the framework of the so-called "system-plus-reservoir" approach. In this work we assign their description to the Maximum Entropy Formalism and compare the resulting thermodynamic properties with those of the well-established approaches. Due to the non-negligible coupling to the heat reservoir, these systems are nonextensive by nature, and the former task may require the use of nonextensive parameter dependent informational entropies. In doing so, we address the problem of choosing appropriate forms of those entropies in order to describe a consistent thermodynamics for dissipative quantum systems. Nevertheless, even having chosen the most successful and popular forms of those entropies, we have proven our model to be a counterexample where this sort of approach leads us to wrong results.

Exponential energy growth due to slow parameter oscillations in quantum mechanical systems

It is shown that a periodic emergence and destruction of an additional quantum number leads to an exponential growth of energy of a quantum mechanical system subjected to a slow periodic variation of parameters. The main example is given by systems (e.g., quantum billiards and quantum graphs) with periodically divided configuration space. In special cases, the process can also lead to a long period of cooling that precedes the acceleration, and to the desertion of the states with a particular value of the quantum number.

Meaning of temperature in different thermostatistical ensembles

Depending on the exact experimental conditions, the thermodynamic properties of physical systems can be related to one or more thermostatistical ensembles. Here, we survey the notion of thermodynamic temperature in different statistical ensembles, focusing in particular on subtleties that arise when ensembles become non-equivalent. The 'mother' of all ensembles, the microcanonical ensemble, uses entropy and internal energy (the most fundamental, dynamically conserved quantity) to derive temperature as a secondary thermodynamic variable. Over the past century, some confusion has been caused by the fact that several competing microcanonical entropy definitions are used in the literature, most commonly the volume and surface entropies introduced by Gibbs. It can be proved, however, that only the volume entropy satisfies exactly the traditional form of the laws of thermodynamics for a broad class of physical systems, including all standard classical Hamiltonian systems, regardless of their size. This mathematically rigorous fact implies that negative 'absolute' temperatures and Carnot efficiencies more than 1 are not achievable within a standard thermodynamical framework. As an important offspring of microcanonical thermostatistics, we shall briefly consider the canonical ensemble and comment on the validity of the Boltzmann weight factor. We conclude by addressing open mathematical problems that arise for systems with discrete energy spectra.

In defense of negative temperature

This pedagogical comment highlights three misconceptions concerning the usefulness of the concept of negative temperature, being derived from the usual, often termed Boltzmann, definition of entropy. First, both the Boltzmann and Gibbs entropies must obey the same thermodynamic consistency relation. Second, the Boltzmann entropy does obey the second law of thermodynamics. Third, there exists an integrating factor of the heat differential with both definitions of entropy.

A Derivation of the Gibbs Equation and the Determination of Change in Gibbs Entropy from Calorimetry

In this paper, we give a succinct derivation of the fundamental equation of classical equilibrium thermodynamics, namely the Gibbs equation. This derivation builds on our equilibrium relaxation theorem for systems in contact with a heat reservoir. We reinforce the comments made over a century ago, pointing out that Clausius’ strict inequality for a system of interest is within Clausius’ set of definitions, logically undefined. Using a specific definition of temperature that we have recently introduced and which is valid for both reversible and irreversible processes, we can define a property that we call the change in calorimetric entropy for these processes. We then demonstrate the instantaneous equivalence of the change in calorimetric entropy, which is defined using heat transfer and our definition of temperature, and the change in Gibbs entropy, which is defined in terms of the full N-particle phase space distribution function. The result shows that the change in Gibbs entropy can be expressed in terms of physical quantities.

Continuity of the entropy of macroscopic quantum systems

The proper definition of entropy is fundamental to the relationship between statistical mechanics and thermodynamics. It also plays a major role in the recent debate about the validity of the concept of negative temperature. In this paper, I analyze and calculate the thermodynamic entropy for large but finite quantum mechanical systems. A special feature of this analysis is that the thermodynamic energy of a quantum system is shown to be a continuous variable, rather than being associated with discrete energy eigenvalues. Calculations of the entropy as a function of energy can be carried out with a Legendre transform of thermodynamic potentials obtained from a canonical ensemble. The resultant expressions for the entropy are able to describe equilibrium between quantum systems having incommensurate energy-level spacings. This definition of entropy preserves all required thermodynamic properties, including satisfaction of all postulates and laws of thermodynamics. It demonstrates the consistency of the concept of negative temperature with the principles of thermodynamics.

Quantum Otto cycle efficiency on coupled qudits

Properties of the coupled particles with spin 3/2 (quartits) in a constant magnetic field, as a working substance in the quantum Otto cycle of the heat engine, are considered. It is shown that this system as a converter of heat energy in work (i) shows the efficiency 1 at the negative absolute temperatures of heat baths, (ii) at the temperatures of the opposite sign the efficiency approaches 1, (iii) at the positive temperatures of heat baths antiferromagnetic interaction raises efficiency threefold in comparison with uncoupled particles.

Gibbs volume entropy is incorrect

We show that the expression for the equilibrium thermodynamic entropy contains an integral over a surface in phase space, and in so doing, we confirm that negative temperature is a valid thermodynamic concept. This demonstration disproves the claims of several recent papers that the Gibbs entropy, which contains an integral over a volume in phase space, is the correct definition and that thermodynamics cannot be extended to include negative temperatures. We further show that the Gibbs entropy fails to satisfy the postulates of thermodynamics and that its predictions for systems with nonmonotonic energy densities of states are incorrect.

Construction of microcanonical entropy on thermodynamic pillars

A question that is currently highly debated is whether the microcanonical entropy should be expressed as the logarithm of the phase volume (volume entropy, also known as the Gibbs entropy) or as the logarithm of the density of states (surface entropy, also known as the Boltzmann entropy). Rather than postulating them and investigating the consequence of each definition, as is customary, here we adopt a bottom-up approach and construct the entropy expression within the microcanonical formalism upon two fundamental thermodynamic pillars: (i) The second law of thermodynamics as formulated for quasistatic processes: δQ/T is an exact differential, and (ii) the law of ideal gases: PV=k(B)NT. The first pillar implies that entropy must be some function of the phase volume Ω. The second pillar singles out the logarithmic function among all possible functions. Hence the construction leads uniquely to the expression S=k(B)lnΩ, that is, the volume entropy. As a consequence any entropy expression other than that of Gibbs, e.g., the Boltzmann entropy, can lead to inconsistencies with the two thermodynamic pillars. We illustrate this with the prototypical example of a macroscopic collection of noninteracting spins in a magnetic field, and show that the Boltzmann entropy severely fails to predict the magnetization, even in the thermodynamic limit. The uniqueness of the Gibbs entropy, as well as the demonstrated potential harm of the Boltzmann entropy, provide compelling reasons for discarding the latter at once.

Adiabatic processes realized with a trapped Brownian particle

The ability to implement adiabatic processes in the mesoscale is of key importance in the study of artificial or biological micro- and nanoengines. Microadiabatic processes have been elusive to experimental implementation due to the difficulty in isolating Brownian particles from their fluctuating environment. Here we report on the experimental realization of a microscopic quasistatic adiabatic process employing a trapped Brownian particle. We circumvent the complete isolation of the Brownian particle by designing a protocol where both characteristic volume and temperature of the system are changed in such a way that the entropy of the system is conserved along the process. We compare the protocols that follow from either the overdamped or underdamped descriptions, demonstrating that the latter is mandatory in order to obtain a vanishing average heat flux to the particle. We provide analytical expressions for the distributions of the fluctuating heat and entropy and verify them experimentally. Our protocols could serve to implement the first microscopic engine that is able to attain the fundamental limit for the efficiency set by Carnot.