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ALS – Nicole Yunger Halpern
March 22 @ 3:30 pm - 6:00 pm EDT
Title: Field notes on the second law of thermodynamics from a quantum physicist
Abstract: Thermodynamics reigns as queen of the physical theories, governing everything from biophysics to cosmology. The second law of thermodynamics heads her court, stipulating that time appears to flow in only one direction and limiting engines’ efficiencies. However, idealizations curtail the original second law’s applicability: small systems violate simple, early formulations of the law, which imply quantitative predictions only about equilibrium states. The nineteenth-century law has been tightened, including within quantum thermodynamics, a field that has taken off in the past decade. I will illustrate this progress with examples. As a spoiler alert: I know of no ways to leverage quantum phenomena to break the second law. However, quantum and other resources enable us to “bend around” the second law: we can appear to violate the law while, in fact, subtly avoiding assumptions behind modern formulations of the law. Reference: Yunger Halpern, Quantum Steampunk: The Physics of Yesterday’s Tomorrow, Johns Hopkins University Press (2022).
This talk will also be available live streamed on:
Zoom at https://pitt.zoom.us/j/99729209600
YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg.
A reception with light refreshments will follow in 1008 lounge from 5-6pm.
Details
- Date:
- March 22
- Time:
-
3:30 pm - 6:00 pm EDT
- Event Categories:
- 64th Annual Lecture Series, 2023-24, Annual Lecture Series
Venue
- 1008 Cathedral of Learning
-
4200 Fifth Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15260 United States + Google Map
Organizer
- Center for Philosophy of Science
- Phone:
- 4126241050
- Email:
- pittcntr@pitt.edu
- View Organizer Website