Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Adiabatic Processes for an Ideal Gas01:18

Adiabatic Processes for an Ideal Gas

4.4K
When an ideal gas is compressed adiabatically, that is, without adding heat, work is done on it, and its temperature increases. In an adiabatic expansion, the gas does work, and its temperature drops. Adiabatic compressions actually occur in the cylinders of a car, where the compressions of the gas-air mixture take place so quickly that there is no time for the mixture to exchange heat with its environment. Nevertheless, because work is done on the mixture during the compression, its...
4.4K
Pressure and Volume in an Adiabatic Process01:27

Pressure and Volume in an Adiabatic Process

3.7K
Free expansion of a gas is an adiabatic process. However, there are few differences between free expansion and adiabatic expansion. During free expansion, no work is done, and there is no change in internal energy. But, for an adiabatic expansion, work is done, and there is a change in internal energy. During an adiabatic process, the relation between the pressure and volume is obtained from the condition for the adiabatic process, that is,
3.7K
Deactivation Processes: Jablonski Diagram01:25

Deactivation Processes: Jablonski Diagram

2.4K
Luminescence, the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed energy, is a process that involves the interaction of molecules with light. The energy-level diagram, or Jablonski diagram, is a graphical representation of these interactions, illustrating the various states and transitions a molecule can undergo. In a typical Jablonski diagram, the lowest horizontal line represents the ground-state energy of the molecule, which is usually a singlet state. This state represents the energies...
2.4K
Equilibrium Conditions for a Particle01:23

Equilibrium Conditions for a Particle

2.6K
When an object is in equilibrium, it is either at rest or moving with a constant velocity. There are two types of equilibrium: static and dynamic. Static equilibrium occurs when an object is at rest, while dynamic equilibrium occurs when an object is moving with a constant velocity. In both cases, there must be a balance of forces acting on the object.
To understand the concept of equilibrium, let us first consider the forces acting on an object. When different forces act on an object, they can...
2.6K
Behavior of Gas Molecules: Molecular Diffusion, Mean Free Path, and Effusion03:48

Behavior of Gas Molecules: Molecular Diffusion, Mean Free Path, and Effusion

32.2K
Although gaseous molecules travel at tremendous speeds (hundreds of meters per second), they collide with other gaseous molecules and travel in many different directions before reaching the desired target. At room temperature, a gaseous molecule will experience billions of collisions per second. The mean free path is the average distance a molecule travels between collisions. The mean free path increases with decreasing pressure; in general, the mean free path for a gaseous molecule will be...
32.2K
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes01:23

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes

1.4K
In the absence of an external magnetic field, nuclear spin states are degenerate and randomly oriented. When a magnetic field is applied, the spins begin to precess and orient themselves along (lower energy) or against (higher energy) the direction of the field. At equilibrium, a slight excess population of spins exists in the lower energy state. Because the direction of the magnetic field is fixed as the z-axis,  the precessing magnetic moments are randomly oriented around the z-axis.
1.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of the Black-Footed Cat: Insights into <i>Felis</i>'s Deadliest Predator.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

EMBO Press co-evolves with molecular ecology and evolutionary biology.

The EMBO journal·2026
Same author

Comparative gene annotation and orthology assignments across 301 species of Drosophilidae.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Optimal switching strategies in multidrug therapies for chronic diseases.

Physical review. E·2025
Same author

Gambling Carnot Engine.

Physical review letters·2025
Same author

Is stochastic thermodynamics the key to understanding the energy costs of computation?

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Optical Trap Loading of Dielectric Microparticles In Air
08:57

Optical Trap Loading of Dielectric Microparticles In Air

Published on: February 5, 2017

9.6K

Adiabatic processes realized with a trapped Brownian particle.

Ignacio A Martínez1,2, Édgar Roldán1,3,4, Luis Dinis4,5

  • 1ICFO-Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, Mediterranean Technology Park, 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain.

Physical Review Letters
|April 11, 2015
PubMed
Summary

Researchers experimentally achieved a microscopic quasistatic adiabatic process using a trapped Brownian particle. This breakthrough enables the development of microengines approaching Carnot efficiency limits.

More Related Videos

Cooling an Optically Trapped Ultracold Fermi Gas by Periodical Driving
11:21

Cooling an Optically Trapped Ultracold Fermi Gas by Periodical Driving

Published on: March 30, 2017

8.0K
Optical Trapping of Nanoparticles
13:39

Optical Trapping of Nanoparticles

Published on: January 15, 2013

23.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Optical Trap Loading of Dielectric Microparticles In Air
08:57

Optical Trap Loading of Dielectric Microparticles In Air

Published on: February 5, 2017

9.6K
Cooling an Optically Trapped Ultracold Fermi Gas by Periodical Driving
11:21

Cooling an Optically Trapped Ultracold Fermi Gas by Periodical Driving

Published on: March 30, 2017

8.0K
Optical Trapping of Nanoparticles
13:39

Optical Trapping of Nanoparticles

Published on: January 15, 2013

23.1K

Area of Science:

  • Thermodynamics
  • Statistical Mechanics
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Adiabatic processes are crucial for micro- and nanoengines but experimentally challenging at the microscale.
  • Isolating Brownian particles from environmental fluctuations hinders micro adiabatic process implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally realize a microscopic quasistatic adiabatic process.
  • To develop protocols for conserving entropy in systems with changing volume and temperature.
  • To investigate the role of overdamped versus underdamped descriptions in adiabatic processes.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing a trapped Brownian particle to simulate a microscopic system.
  • Designing a protocol to conserve system entropy by simultaneously altering volume and temperature.
  • Comparing overdamped and underdamped theoretical models with experimental results.

Main Results:

  • Successful experimental realization of a microscopic quasistatic adiabatic process.
  • Demonstration that the underdamped description is essential for vanishing average heat flux.
  • Analytical expressions for fluctuating heat and entropy distributions derived and experimentally verified.

Conclusions:

  • The developed protocols pave the way for creating microscopic engines with Carnot efficiency.
  • This work overcomes experimental limitations in implementing adiabatic processes at the microscale.
  • The findings provide a foundation for future advancements in microscopic thermodynamics and engine design.