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Rotation-induced phase transition in a spherical gravitating system
P Klinko1, B N Miller, I Prokhorenkov
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas 76129, USA.
Summary
Rotation in self-gravitating systems prevents the gravothermal catastrophe. Introducing specific angular momentum creates phase transitions, bounding entropy and energy for astrophysical applications.
Area of Science:
- Statistical physics
- Astrophysics
- Gravitational systems
Background:
- Self-gravitating systems face challenges with standard statistical physics due to gravity's infinite range.
- Phenomena like negative heat capacity and gravothermal catastrophe occur, where systems collapse and entropy becomes unbounded.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the influence of rotation on purely spherical gravitational systems using mean field theory.
- Analyze the effect of conserved specific angular momentum (l) on system stability and thermodynamic properties.
Main Methods:
- Employed mean field theory to model rotating spherical gravitational systems.
- Proved rigorous upper and lower bounds for entropy and energy, respectively.
- Analyzed systems with particles having identical specific angular momentum magnitude (l).
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that rotation introduces an upper bound on entropy and a lower bound on energy.
- Showed a phase transition occurs in microcanonical and canonical ensembles when l drops below a critical value.
- Characterized the distinct properties of each phase and constructed coexistence curves for different ensembles.
Conclusions:
- Rotation stabilizes self-gravitating systems, preventing the gravothermal catastrophe.
- The study reveals phase transitions driven by angular momentum, with implications for understanding astrophysical structures like galaxies and globular clusters.