A Photon Force and Flow for Dissipative Structuring: Application to Pigments, Plants and Ecosystems

Area of Science:

• Thermodynamics
• Astrophysics
• Biophysics

Background:

• Entropy production is a fundamental concept in thermodynamics, describing irreversible processes.
• Understanding photon-matter interactions is crucial for fields ranging from material science to astrobiology.
• Classical Irreversible Thermodynamic theory provides a framework for analyzing non-equilibrium systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• Derive a general expression for entropy production from photon absorption and dissipation.
• Compare entropy production across various inorganic and organic materials under solar irradiation.
• Investigate the relationship between pigment absorption, entropy production, and photosynthetic efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Modern derivation of Planck's formula for photon entropy.
• Application of Classical Irreversible Thermodynamic theory to photon flow and entropy production.
• Comparative analysis of entropy production in water, desert, leaves, and forests under sunlight.

Main Results:

• Organic materials exhibit higher entropy production than inorganic materials.
• Peak pigment absorption in plants (430-550 nm) coincides with maximal entropy production, not maximal photosynthetic efficiency (600-700 nm).
• Entropy production is proposed as a potential driver for the evolution of life and a biosignature for exoplanets.

Conclusions:

• Life's evolution may prioritize optimizing entropy production over direct photosynthetic efficiency.
• The wavelength dependence of global entropy production can be a novel biosignature for detecting extraterrestrial life.
• This research bridges thermodynamics, biology, and astrophysics, offering new perspectives on life's origins and detection.