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

Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics01:20

Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

4.6K
The second law of thermodynamics can be stated quantitatively using the concept of entropy. Entropy is the measure of disorder of the system.
The relation  between entropy and disorder can be illustrated with the example of the phase change of ice to water. In ice, the molecules are located at specific sites giving a solid state, whereas, in a liquid form, these molecules are much freer to move. The molecular arrangement has therefore become more randomized. Although the change in average...
4.6K
Second Law of Thermodynamics02:49

Second Law of Thermodynamics

26.4K
In the quest to identify a property that may reliably predict the spontaneity of a process, a promising candidate has been identified: entropy. Processes that involve an increase in entropy of the system (ΔS > 0) are very often spontaneous; however, examples to the contrary are plentiful. By expanding consideration of entropy changes to include the surroundings, a significant conclusion regarding the relation between this property and spontaneity may be reached. In thermodynamic models, the...
26.4K
Second Law of Thermodynamics00:53

Second Law of Thermodynamics

66.9K
The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that entropy, or the amount of disorder in a system, increases each time energy is transferred or transformed. Each energy transfer results in a certain amount of energy that is lost—usually in the form of heat—that increases the disorder of the surroundings. This can also be demonstrated in a classic food web. Herbivores harvest chemical energy from plants and release heat and carbon dioxide into the environment. Carnivores harvest the...
66.9K
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Population Distribution01:14

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Population Distribution

2.2K
Near absolute zero temperatures, in the presence of a magnetic field, the majority of nuclei prefer the lower energy spin-up state to the higher energy spin-down state. As temperatures increase, the energy from thermal collisions distributes the spins more equally between the two states. The Boltzmann distribution equation gives the ratio of the number of spins predicted in the spin −½ (N−) and spin +½ (N+) states.
2.2K
Entropy02:39

Entropy

34.6K
Salt particles that have dissolved in water never spontaneously come back together in solution to reform solid particles. Moreover, a gas that has expanded in a vacuum remains dispersed and never spontaneously reassembles. The unidirectional nature of these phenomena is the result of a thermodynamic state function called entropy (S). Entropy is the measure of the extent to which the energy is dispersed throughout a system, or in other words, it is proportional to the degree of disorder of a...
34.6K
Entropy01:18

Entropy

3.4K
The first law of thermodynamics is quantitatively formulated via an equation relating the internal energy of a system, the heat exchanged by it, and the work done on it. A quantitative formulation of the second law of thermodynamics leads to defining a state function, the entropy.
When an ideal gas expands isothermally, the disorder in the gas increases. From the molecular perspective, the gas molecules have more volume to move around in.
Consider an infinitesimal step in the expansion, which...
3.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Magnetic excitations of a nodally-hybridized heavy-fermion semimetal: application to CeNiSn.

Journal of physics. Condensed matter : an Institute of Physics journal·2025
Same author

Interplay between topology and interactions in superconducting chains.

Journal of physics. Condensed matter : an Institute of Physics journal·2025
Same author

Effects of Multiplicative Noise in Bistable Dynamical Systems.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2025
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 19, 2025

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

7.8K

Finite temperature effects in quantum systems with competing scalar orders.

Nei Lopes1, Daniel G Barci2, Mucio A Continentino1

  • 1Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas, Rua Dr Xavier Sigaud 150, Urca, 22290-180, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter : an Institute of Physics Journal
|June 9, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Thermal fluctuations in many-body systems drive weak first-order phase transitions, destabilizing coexisting phases. Above the critical temperature (Tc), systems exhibit quantum critical scaling, with specific heat revealing a gap below Tc.

Keywords:
Lorentz invariant quantum critical theorycompeting scalar ordersquantum systemsscaling regimethermal and quantum fluctuationsweak first-order transition

More Related Videos

Scalable Quantum Integrated Circuits on Superconducting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Platform
05:39

Scalable Quantum Integrated Circuits on Superconducting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Platform

Published on: August 2, 2019

10.1K
Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
08:55

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses

Published on: June 7, 2018

8.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 19, 2025

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

7.8K
Scalable Quantum Integrated Circuits on Superconducting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Platform
05:39

Scalable Quantum Integrated Circuits on Superconducting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Platform

Published on: August 2, 2019

10.1K
Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
08:55

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses

Published on: June 7, 2018

8.8K

Area of Science:

  • Condensed matter physics
  • Quantum field theory
  • Statistical mechanics

Background:

  • Investigating competing ground states in many-body systems is crucial.
  • Quantum fluctuations influence phase competition based on coupling, dynamics, and dimensionality.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To incorporate thermal fluctuations into the effective potential of systems with competing order parameters.
  • To study the impact of thermal fluctuations on phase transitions and critical behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Application of the Matsubara summation technique from finite temperature quantum field theory.
  • Analysis of two- and three-dimensional materials with Lorentz invariant quantum critical theory (z=1).

Main Results:

  • Thermal fluctuations induce weak first-order temperature phase transitions.
  • Coexisting phases arising from quantum corrections become unstable at these transitions.
  • Above the critical temperature (Tc), systems show scaling behavior consistent with approaching a quantum critical point.
  • Below Tc, specific heat exhibits a thermally activated contribution with a gap.

Conclusions:

  • The critical temperature (Tc) decreases with distance from the zero temperature classical bicritical point (ZTCBP).
  • The highest Tc is achieved above the fine-tuned ZTCBP value in this theoretical framework.