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Entropy02:39

Entropy

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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...
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Entropy01:18

Entropy

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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...
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Entropy and Solvation02:05

Entropy and Solvation

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The process of surrounding a solute with solvent is called solvation. It involves evenly distributing the solute within the solvent. The rule of thumb for determining a solvent for a given compound is that like dissolves like. A good solvent has molecular characteristics similar to those of the compound to be dissolved. For example, polar solutions dissolve polar solutes, and apolar solvents dissolve apolar solutes. A polar solvent is a solvent that has a high dielectric constant (ϵ...
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Second Law of Thermodynamics02:49

Second Law of Thermodynamics

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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...
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Second Law of Thermodynamics00:53

Second Law of Thermodynamics

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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...
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Entropy Change in Reversible Processes01:10

Entropy Change in Reversible Processes

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In the Carnot engine, which achieves the maximum efficiency between two reservoirs of fixed temperatures, the total change in entropy is zero. The observation can be generalized by considering any reversible cyclic process consisting of many Carnot cycles. Thus, it can be stated that the total entropy change of any ideal reversible cycle is zero.
The statement can be further generalized to prove that entropy is a state function. Take a cyclic process between any two points on a p-V diagram.
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An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
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Mapping Local Dissipation and Entropy Production in Complex and Active Fluids.

Caroline Desgranges1, Jerome Delhommelle2

  • 1Department of Physics and Applied Physics, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, Massachusetts 01854, United States.

The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
|October 24, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed a framework to map local entropy production in nonequilibrium systems. This method reveals how local dissipation relates to global irreversibility and fluctuation theorems, offering insights into active matter.

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Area of Science:

  • Physics
  • Statistical Mechanics
  • Complex Systems

Background:

  • Global entropy production quantifies irreversibility in physical systems.
  • Understanding local contributions to entropy production is crucial for complex and active matter.
  • Time-reversal symmetry breaking mechanisms require detailed analysis of local processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a framework for mapping local dissipation and entropy production.
  • To connect local entropy production to global measures of irreversibility.
  • To investigate the behavior of local entropy production in active and passive systems.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of local heat flows and fluxes.
  • Simulations of fluids in complex environments.
  • Simulations of active matter systems.
  • Application of a local fluctuation theorem.

Main Results:

  • A framework was established to map local entropy production in nonequilibrium systems.
  • Local dissipation and entropy production were shown to satisfy a local fluctuation theorem.
  • Correlations between local regions and their surroundings were accounted for.
  • In active fluids, active and passive contributions to local dissipation showed opposite correlation signs.

Conclusions:

  • The proposed framework successfully maps local entropy production.
  • The local fluctuation theorem provides a bridge between local and global irreversibility.
  • Distinctive behaviors of active and passive contributions in active matter were identified.