Physics > Home > Entropy: Thermodynamics – Energy – Environment – Economy > Issue
From the first steps in thermodynamics with Carnot in 1824 to today’s research advances in preparation for tomorrow. This book offers readers a broad overview of thermodynamics through 22 articles. It covers the historical aspects of thermodynamics as well as the future of our planet, the structures of the living world, promising extensions into the quantum world, and the potential of solar energy. It also looks at engines and materials, with an innovative project in powder metallurgy. There are many other gems to discover. It also discusses the teaching of thermodynamics and how to approach it in a fun way through comics. In short, this is a well-researched work on the scientific relevance of Carnot’s visionary message from 1824, opening the door to tomorrow!
Since 1857, the second law of thermodynamics has faced the challenge of Maxwell’s imagined demon. The widely accepted response to this challenge suggests that the demon requires a bit of information to work, and according to Landauer’s principle, the erasure of this bit must offset the entropy reduction achieved by the demon. Recent experiments involving two-state physical systems subject to thermal fluctuations at the nanoscale have aimed to either prove Landauer’s principle or to demonstrate Szilard engines or Maxwell’s demons in practice. We wrote the equations and developed a numerical model to simulate the evolution of these systems. The results highlight the distinction between thermodynamic entropy and information entropy. They demonstrate that Landauer’s principle has a limited range of applicability and that, using a two-state memory, it is possible to eliminate a small amount of entropy without expending energy—challenging the second law of thermodynamics at the nanoscale.
2026
Volume 26- 7
Issue 12025
Volume 25- 6
Issue 12024
Volume 24- 5
Special issue LILA 22023
Volume 23- 4
Issue 12022
Volume 22- 3
Issue 12021
Volume 21- 2
Special issue2020
Volume 20- 1
Issue 1