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At least 217 records · Page 12

The history of re-connection and the concept of the solar wind plasma with relatively small electrical conductivity

Petschek's 're-connection' model, aspiring to be universal, treated as a boundary problem meets unresolvable difficulties connected with impossibility to specify correctly boundary and initial conditions. This problem was incorrectly formulated. Hence, ineradicable logarithmic singularities occurred on the boundary surfaces. Attempts to eliminate them by incorporating the finite electrical conductivity are incorrect. This should lead to the change in the equation type, boundary condition type and in consequence to the change in solutions. Besides, the slow mode shocks cannot be driven by small internal source. As an alternative a new plasma concept is suggested. The state of fully ionized plasma in space depends completely on the entropy of the plasma heating source and on the process in which plasma is involved. The presumptive source of the solar wind creation - the induction electric field of the solar origin - has very low entropy. The state of plasma should be very far from the thermodynamic equilibrium. Debye's screening is not complete. The excitation of the powerful resonant self-consistent electric fields in plasma provides low electric conductivity. The MHD problems should be treated in frameworks of dissipative theories.

Chertkov, A. D.↗

Isentropic Analysis of Convective Motions

This paper analyzes the convective mass transport by sorting air parcels in terms of their equivalent potential temperature to determine an isentropic streamfunction. By averaging the vertical mass flux at a constant value of the equivalent potential temperature, one can compute an isentropic mass transport that filters out reversible oscillatory motions such as gravity waves. This novel approach emphasizes the fact that the vertical energy and entropy transports by convection are due to the combination of ascending air parcels with high energy and entropy and subsiding air parcels with lower energy and entropy. Such conditional averaging can be extended to other dynamic and thermodynamic variables such as vertical velocity, temperature, or relative humidity to obtain a comprehensive description of convective motions. It is also shown how this approach can be used to determine the mean diabatic tendencies from the three-dimensional dynamic and thermodynamic fields. A two-stream approximation that partitions the isentropic circulation into a mean updraft and a mean downdraft is also introduced. This offers a straightforward way to identify the mean properties of rising and subsiding air parcels. The results from the two-stream approximation are compared with two other definitions of the cloud mass flux. It is argued that the isentropic analysis offers a robust definition of the convective mass transport that is not tainted by the need to arbitrarily distinguish between convection and its environment, and that separates the irreversible convective overturning fromoscillations associated with gravity waves.

Lagrangian circulation↗

Thermodynamic processes induced by coherent radiation

It is shown by quantum statistics that under certain stated conditions the entropy of coherent radiation is zero and it is still negligible for multimode laser operation. This makes possible gas kinetic processes which, to a small extent, have already been observed or even utilized, but which can be greatly enhanced by an optimized choice of molecular structures and radiation conditions. Radiative cooling of gases is discussed in detail. The conditions for maximum heat withdrawal are derived, and it is proposed that the processes of cooling and relaxation heating can be sufficiently separated in time to achieve certain effects and thermodynamic cycles. One of these is the complete conversion, possible in principle, of coherent radiation into work. This concept is based on a heat pump process followed by heat-to-work conversion, the heat rejected being just equal to that withdrawn by radiation. The conditions for complete conversion turn out to be the same as for maximum heat withdrawal. The feasibility of these processes depends on the degree to which practical conditions can be met, and on the validity of certain assumptions which have to await experimental verification.

Garbuny, M.↗

An Analytical Tool to Evaluate Defect Thermodynamics of (La,Ba)Fe1-xMxO3-δ Perovskites for Solid-Oxide Cell Applications

A modeling tool of the defect thermodynamics of (La,Ba)Fe1-xMxO3-δ perovskites which includes energetic information about oxygen vacancy formation, hydration, hydride formation, and charge disproportionation reactions has been developed1. This tool incorporates defect energies and entropies expressed as sixth order polynomial functions to allow refinements of the defect reaction equilibrium constants in the thermodynamic analysis. Calculation of (La,Ba)Fe1-xMxO3-δ Brouwer diagrams as a function of pO2/pH2O and pH2/H2O in a range of temperatures of interest is facilitated by this modeling tool. The results obtained can provide direct guidance how the electronic and ionic defect concentrations of the triple conducting perovskite materials can be used to optimize performance of solid oxide cells for energy applications. The impact of magnetic and electronic structures of the perovskites on the defect reaction energies and entropies as obtained from density function theory modeling and the role played by hydride defect species will also be discussed.

Lee, Yueh-Lin↗

Thermally induced structural competitiveness and metastability of body-centered-cubic iron under nonequilibrium conditions

The structure and stability of iron near melting at multi-megabar pressures are of significant interest in high pressure physics and earth and planetary sciences. While the body-centered cubic (BCC) phase is generally recognized as unstable at lower temperatures, its stability relative to the hexagonal close-packed (HCP) phase at high temperatures (approximately 0.5 eV) in the Earth’s inner core (IC) remains a topic of ongoing theoretical and experimental debate. Motivated by a series of studies attempting to understand the state of the IC and resulting in contradictory findings, we aim to explore the physical factors that may contribute to this confusion in a broader context. Our ab initio calculations show a significant drop in energy, the emergence of a plateau and a local minimum in the potential energy surface, and stabilization of all phonon modes of BCC iron at elevated electron temperatures (>1–1.5 eV). These effects increase the competition among the BCC, HCP, and the face-centered cubic (FCC) phases and lead to the metastability of the BCC structure. Furthermore, at pressure-temperature conditions relevant to the IC, we can expect substantial coexistence of FCC and HCP iron due to their similar free energies and low transition barrier (∼0.2 eV/atom), and the thermodynamic stability of BCC iron is enhanced by its substantial lattice vibration entropy. In conclusion, these findings provide a clear theoretical framework for understanding iron phase relations and solidification processes, both experimentally and in the IC.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

AdS 5 black hole entropy near the BPS limit

We analyze AdS 5 black holes that are nearly supersymmetric. They depart from the BPS limit in two distinct ways: a temperature takes them above extremality and a potential maintains extremality but violates a certain constraint. We study the thermodynamics of these deformations and their interplay in detail. We discuss recent microscopic computations of BPS black hole entropy in N = 4 SYM and generalize the arguments to the nearBPS regime by relaxing constraints imposed by supersymmetry. Our methods recover gravitational results from microscopic theory also for nearBPS black holes.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Finite-temperature vibrational full configuration interaction

Thermodynamic functions of an ideal molecular gas due to its anharmonic vibrations are evaluated in a wide range of temperature (T) by the vibrational full-configuration-interaction (FCI) method using a quartic force field and a finite number (N) of harmonic-oscillator basis functions along each normal mode. The thermodynamic functions considered are the grand potential (Ω), internal energy (U), and entropy (S). They are compared with those obtained from the Bose–Einstein theory with or without truncation of the harmonic-oscillator basis functions after quantum number N–1. The comparison reveals that the finite-basis-set errors in Ω and U are, respectively, k B Tln(k B T/Nℏω) and k B T per mode in the high-T limit, obscuring anharmonic effects when k B T > ℏω, where ω is the lowest mode frequency. Here, the benchmark data for several low-order perturbation corrections to Ω, U, and S are also obtained as the numerical derivatives of their FCI values with respect to dimensionless perturbation strength, and the domain of T and N in which these data are reliable (for the N → ∞ limits) is discussed.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Evaluating Novel Approaches for In Situ Analysis in the Search for Extraterrestrial Life

Universal approaches to detect extraterrestrial life are required to determine whether life exists outside of earth. A significant limitation of current detection strategies is the absence of a reliable, universal approach. They do not provide mechanisms to detect life that has evolved distinctly from life on Earth. We hypothesize that the most basic, essential features of life that can be detected are that they decrease their internal entropy at the expense of free energy obtained from their surroundings and that they produce heat associated with metabolic reactions. We propose that by using a thermodynamic analysis of the energy associated with these fundamental components of life, one can readily quantify the degree of free energy difference between life forms or their remnants and their abiotic surroundings. Analysis of the free energy entropy term (and thus structural complexity) and enthalpy term (as a manifestation of the energy release caused by metabolic reactions) may provide definitive detection of the presence of life. As a part of our analysis we review data available in the literature about the thermodynamics of microbial growth to assess the extent microbial metabolism and growth may contribute to negative entropy of maintenance (metabolism) and structural complexity. Additionally, we evaluate the different mechanisms by which structural complexity can be measured using calorimetry. An experimental framework is considered using concepts from previous work that could be used to further validate the calorimetric methods for life detection by potentially differentiating between life forms or their remnants from an abiotic surrounding. Results obtained demonstrate the applications of this approach and indicate that modification of a microcalorimetric technique has potential for incorporation into a space exploration platform as a life-detection payload.

Life Detection, Calorimetry↗

Fundamental limitations on photoisomerization from thermodynamic resource theories

Small, out-of-equilibrium, and quantum systems defy simple thermodynamic expressions. Such systems are exemplified by molecular switches, which exchange heat with a bath. These molecules can photoisomerize, or change conformation, or switch, on absorbing light. The photoisomerization probability depends on kinetic details that couple the molecule’s energetics to its dissipation. Therefore, a simple, general, thermodynamic-style bound on the photoisomerization probability seems out of reach. We derive such a bound using a resource theory. The resource-theory framework is a set of mathematical tools, developed in quantum information theory, used to generalize thermodynamics to small and quantum settings. From this toolkit has been derived a generalization of the second law, the thermomajorization preorder. We use thermomajorization to upper-bound the photoisomerization probability. Then, we compare the bound with an equilibrium prediction and with a Lindbladian model. We identify a realistic parameter regime in which the Lindbladian evolution saturates the thermomajorization bound. We also quantify the energy coherence in the electronic degree of freedom, and we argue that this coherence cannot promote photoisomerization. Overall, this work illustrates how quantum-information-theoretic thermodynamics can elucidate complex quantum processes in nature, experiments, and synthetics.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Polymer Tacticity Effects in Polymer–Lanthanide Chelation Thermodynamics

Metal-chelating polymers are critical components in numerous applications. However, despite the known influence of polymer tacticity on both bulk and solution properties, most materials used in metal-chelation applications are atactic. Here, we investigate the relationship between polymer tacticity and polymer–lanthanide interactions in aqueous solution. We synthesized a series of five poly(methacrylic acid)s with systematic variations in tacticity (20–99% m diads) and used isothermal titration calorimetry to measure the thermodynamics of lanthanide binding to each material (ΔH, ΔG, ΔS, K a , and stoichiometry). We observed enthalpy–entropy compensation across this tacticity series, finding that both |ΔH| and |ΔS| decreased with decreasing m diad content while ΔG remained similar. Molecular dynamics simulations of the polymer–metal interactions revealed that the observed differences in binding thermodynamics may be largely ascribed to differences in polymer flexibility. Furthermore, these combined experimental and computational results demonstrate that metal binding can be influenced by altering the polymer stereochemistry, ultimately influencing the design of more efficient metal-chelating materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Experimental determination of the solubility constant of kurnakovite, MgB3O3(OH)5·5H2O

In this study, I present experimental results on the equilibrium between boracite [Mg 3 B 7 O 13 C1(cr)] and kurnakovite [chemical formula, Mg 2 B 6 O 11 ·15H 2 O(cr); structural formula, MgB 3 O 3 (OH) 5 ·5H 2 O(cr)] at 22.5 ± 0.5 °C from a long-term experiment up to 1629 days, approaching equilibrium from the direction of supersaturation, Mg 3 B 7 O 13 C1(cr) + H + + 2B(OH)$^-_4$ + 18H 2 O(1) ⇌ 3MgB 3 O 3 (OH) 5 ·5H 2 O(cr) + C1 - . Based on solubility measurements, the 10-based logarithm of the equilibrium constant for the above reaction at 25 °C is determined to be 12.83 ± 0.08 (2σ). Based on the equilibrium constant for dissolution of boracite, Mg 3 B 7 O 13 C1(cr) + 15H 2 O(1) = 3Mg 2+ + 7B(OH)$^-_4$ + C1 - + 2H + at 25 °C measured previously (Xiong et al. 2018) and that for the reaction between boracite and kurnakovite determined here, the equilibrium constant for dissolution of kurnakovite, MgB 3 O 3 (OH) 5 ·5H 2 O(cr) = Mg 2+ + 3B(OH)$^-_4$ + H + + H 2 O(1) is derived as -14.11 ± 0.40 (2σ). Using the equilibrium constant for dissolution of kurnakovite obtained in this study and the experimental enthalpy of formation for kurnakovite from the literature, a set of thermodynamic properties for kurnakovite at 25 °C and 1 bar is recommended as follows: Δ H $^0_f$ = -4813.24 ± 4.92 kJ/mol, Δ G$^0_f$ = -4232.0 ± 2.3 kJ/mol, and S 0 = 414.3 ± 0.9 J/(mol·K). Among them, the Gibbs energy of formation is based on the equilibrium constant for kurnakovite determined in this study; the enthalpy of formation is from the literature (Li et al. 1997), and the standard entropy is calculated internally with the Gibbs-Helmholtz equation in this work. The thermodynamic properties of kurnakovite estimated using the group contribution method for borate minerals based on the sums of contributions from the cations, borate polyanions, and structural water to the thermodynamic properties from the literature (Li et al. 2000) are consistent, within their uncertainties, with the values listed above. Since kurnakovite usually forms in salt lakes rich in sulfate, studying the interactions of borate with sulfate is important to modeling kurnakovite in salt lakes. Finally, for this purpose, I have re-calibrated our previous model (Xiong et al. 2013) describing the interactions of borate with sulfate based on the new solubility data for borax in Na 2 SO 4 solutions presented here.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Manganese-based A-site high-entropy perovskite oxide for solar thermochemical hydrogen production

Non-stoichiometric perovskite oxides have been studied as a new family of redox oxides for solar thermochemical hydrogen (STCH) production owing to their favourable thermodynamic properties. However, conventional perovskite oxides suffer from limited phase stability and kinetic properties, and poor cyclability. Here, we report a strategy of introducing A-site multi-principal-component mixing to develop a high-entropy perovskite oxide, (La 1/6 Pr 1/6 Nd 1/6 Gd 1/6 Sr 1/6 Ba 1/6 )MnO 3 (LPNGSB_Mn), which shows desirable thermodynamic and kinetics properties as well as excellent phase stability and cycling durability. LPNGSB_Mn exhibits enhanced hydrogen production (~77.5 mmol mol oxide -1 ) compared to (La 2/3 Sr 1/3 )MnO 3 (~53.5 mmol mol oxide -1 ) in a short 1 hour redox duration and high STCH and phase stability for 50 cycles. LPNGSB_Mn possesses a moderate enthalpy of reduction (252.51–296.32 kJ (mol O) -1 ), a high entropy of reduction (126.95–168.85 J (mol O) -1 K -1 ), and fast surface oxygen exchange kinetics. All A-site cations do not show observable valence changes during the reduction and oxidation processes. In conclusion, this research preliminarily explores the use of one A-site high-entropy perovskite oxide for STCH.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Thermodynamic Modeling of Point Defects in Triple Conducting Perovskite Ba 0.95 La 0.05 FeO 3- $_δ$ with Incorporation of the Hydride Defect Formation Reaction for Solid Oxide Cells

Distinct from the proton defect, the hydride defect species may be present in certain perovskite materials in reducing environments such as in fuel electrodes of solid oxide cells (SOCs) or on the reducing side of ceramic membranes. A generalized defect thermodynamic model was developed for the triple-conducting perovskites (La,Ba)Fe 1-x M x O 3-δ (M = Y and Zr) to allow inclusion of the hydride defect formation reaction in addition to the other three main defect reactions, namely, the oxygen vacancy formation, hydration, and charge disproportionation reactions. This comprehensive defect model also allows the incorporation of polynomial functional forms of oxygen nonstoichiometry δ to describe the defect reaction energies and entropies and to enable refinements of the defect reaction equilibrium constants in the defect thermodynamic analysis. As a first step, the developed model is applied to the Ba 0.95 La 0.05 FeO 3-δ material as an illustrative system to obtain its Brouwer diagrams with both the proton and hydride defects in relevant SOC conditions, particularly for more reducing environments. In conclusion, the results provide direct guidance on the influence of electronic and ionic defect concentrations upon thermodynamic properties and ultimately on the performance of Ba 0.95 La 0.05 FeO 3-δ and potentially other (La,Ba)Fe 1-x M x O 3-δ perovskite materials involved in SOC applications.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Equilibrium gas flow computations. I - Accurate and efficient calculation of equilibrium gas properties

This paper treats the accurate and efficient calculation of thermodynamic properties of arbitrary gas mixtures for equilibrium flow computations. New improvements in the Stupochenko-Jaffe model for the calculation of thermodynamic properties of diatomic molecules are presented. A unified formulation of equilibrium calculations for gas mixtures in terms of irreversible entropy is given. Using a highly accurate thermo-chemical data base, a new, efficient and vectorizable search algorithm is used to construct piecewise interpolation procedures with generate accurate thermodynamic variable and their derivatives required by modern computational algorithms. Results are presented for equilibrium air, and compared with those given by the Srinivasan program.

Liu, Yen↗

Aeroacoustic and aerodynamic applications of the theory of nonequilibrium thermodynamics

Recent developments in the field of nonequilibrium thermodynamics associated with viscous flows are examined and related to developments to the understanding of specific phenomena in aerodynamics and aeroacoustics. A key element of the nonequilibrium theory is the principle of minimum entropy production rate for steady dissipative processes near equilibrium, and variational calculus is used to apply this principle to several examples of viscous flow. A review of nonequilibrium thermodynamics and its role in fluid motion are presented. Several formulations are presented of the local entropy production rate and the local energy dissipation rate, two quantities that are of central importance to the theory. These expressions and the principle of minimum entropy production rate for steady viscous flows are used to identify parallel-wall channel flow and irrotational flow as having minimally dissipative velocity distributions. Features of irrotational, steady, viscous flow near an airfoil, such as the effect of trailing-edge radius on circulation, are also found to be compatible with the minimum principle. Finally, the minimum principle is used to interpret the stability of infinitesimal and finite amplitude disturbances in an initially laminar, parallel shear flow, with results that are consistent with experiment and linearized hydrodynamic stability theory. These results suggest that a thermodynamic approach may be useful in unifying the understanding of many diverse phenomena in aerodynamics and aeroacoustics.

Horne, W. Clifton↗

Thermodynamic Properties of Nitrogen Including Liquid and Vapor Phases from 63K to 2000K with Pressures to 10,000 Bar

Tables of thermodynamic properties of nitrogen are presented for the liquid and vapor phases for temperatures from the freezing line to 2000K and pressures to 10,000 bar. The tables include values of density, internal energy, enthalpy, entropy, isochoric heat capacity, isobaric heat capacity velocity of sound, the isotherm derivative, and the isochor derivative. The thermodynamic property tables are based on an equation of state, P=P (p,T), which accurately represents liquid and gaseous nitrogen for the range of pressures and temperatures covered by the tables. Comparisons of property values calculated from the equation of state with measured values for P-p-T, heat capacity, enthalpy, latent heat, and velocity of sound are included to illustrate the agreement between the experimental data and the tables of properties presented here. The coefficients of the equation of state were determined by a weighted least squares fit to selected P-p-T data and, simultaneously, to isochoric heat capacity data determined by corresponding states analysis from oxygen data, and to data which define the phase equilibrium criteria for the saturated liquid and the saturated vapor. The vapor pressure equation, melting curve equation, and an equation to represent the ideal gas heat capacity are also presented. Estimates of the accuracy of the equation of state, the vapor pressure equation, and the ideal gas heat capacity equation are given. The equation of state, derivatives of the equation, and the integral functions for calculating derived thermodynamic properties are included.

Thermodynamic properties↗

Entropy-Based Approach To Nonlinear Stability

NASA technical memorandum suggests schemes for numerical solution of differential equations of flow made more accurate and robust by invoking second law of thermodynamics. Proposes instead of using artificial viscosity to suppress such unphysical solutions as spurious numerical oscillations and nonlinear instabilities, one should formulate equations so that rate of production of entropy within each cell of computational grid be nonnegative, as required by second law.

Merriam, Marshal L.↗

Reconsidering short-range order in complex concentrated alloys

Abstract The seemingly contradictory state of research on short-range order in many-component alloys is addressed through a critical review of the characterization of face-centered-cubic 3 d systems. Despite the paucity of direct observations, the ordering of many widely studied alloys is argued to be primarily interesting for its potential ubiquity. To clarify this situation, future research directions are proposed with reference to historical results, including a review of the fundamental principles of ordering and clustering. Graphical abstract

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗