In the physical sciences, quantum thermodynamics is the study of heat and work dynamics in quantum systems. Approximately, quantum thermodynamics attempts to combine thermodynamics and quantum mechanics into a coherent whole. In physics, heat is defined as energy in transit. ... Look up work in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Thermodynamics (from the Greek thermos meaning heat and dynamis meaning power) is a branch of physics that studies the effects of changes in temperature, pressure, and volume on physical systems at the macroscopic scale by analyzing the collective motion of their particles using statistics. ... For a non-technical introduction to the topic, please see Introduction to Quantum mechanics. ...

Overview

A central objective in quantum thermodynamics is the quantitative and qualitative determination of the laws of thermodynamics at the quantum level in which uncertainty and probability begin to take effect. A fundamental question is: what remains of thermodynamics if one goes to the extreme limit of small quantum systems having a few degrees of freedom? If thermodynamics applies at this level, are the many formulations of the second law of thermodynamics, i.e. the entropy of a closed system cannot decrease, heat flows from high to low temperature, systems evolve towards minimum potential energy wells, energy tends to dissipate, etc., still applicable, or is there a more “universal” formulation? The laws of thermodynamics, in principle, describe the specifics for the transport of heat and work in thermodynamic processes. ... The second law of thermodynamics states that The Second Law is a statistical law and thus applicable only to macroscopic systems. ...

See also

In the physical sciences, atmospheric thermodynamics is the study of heat and energy transformations in the earth’s atmospheric system. ... Biological thermodynamics (Greek: bios = life and logikos = reason + Greek: thermos = heat and dynamics = power) is the study of energy transformation in the biological sciences. ... In physics a special field has been created entirely centered around the thermodynamics of black holes. ... Thermochemistry is the application of thermodynamics to chemistry. ... ass hole ... Equilibrium Thermodynamics (Latin: aequalis = level and libra = weight or balance + Greek: thermos = heat and dynamis = power) is the systematic study of transformations of matter and energy in systems as they approach equilibrium. ... Non-equilibrium thermodynamics is a branch of thermodynamics concerned with studying time-dependent thermodynamic systems, irreversible transformations and open systems. ... Phenomenological thermodynamic is a branch of thermodynamics concerned with the study and analysis of actual phenomena with avoidance of full interpretation, explanation, and evaluation of microscopic, i. ... In psychology, psychodynamics is the study of the interrelationship of various parts of the mind, personality, or psyche as they relate to mental, emotional, or motivational forces especially at the subconscious level. ... Statistical mechanics is the application of statistics, which includes mathematical tools for dealing with large populations, to the field of mechanics, which is concerned with the motion of particles or objects when subjected to a force. ... Thermodynamics (from the Greek thermos meaning heat and dynamis meaning power) is a branch of physics that studies the effects of changes in temperature, pressure, and volume on physical systems at the macroscopic scale by analyzing the collective motion of their particles using statistics. ...

References

External links

• Quantum Thermodynamics and the Gibbs Paradox
• Quantum Thermodynamics
• On the Classical Limit of Quantum Thermodynamics in Finite Time [PDF-format]