The discussion centers on the thermodynamic principles underlying spontaneous emission in isolated macroscopic systems, particularly groups of excited atoms. It is established that such systems tend to maximize entropy, leading to energy release as excited electrons transition to lower energy states. The conversation also highlights the exponential decline in the probability of excited atoms remaining in their state over time, reinforcing the inevitability of spontaneous emission. However, participants express skepticism about the utility of entropy in explaining the phenomenon, questioning the underlying reasons for its occurrence.
PREREQUISITESPhysicists, thermodynamic researchers, and students studying quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics will benefit from this discussion, particularly those interested in the principles of spontaneous emission and entropy.
Maybe it is just me, but I don't find entropy to be particularly useful in explaining why things happen.frankchen said:any isolated macroscopic system, like a large group of atoms, always tends to reach a state that has the maxium entropy. if the electrons in this group of atoms are excited, they will give out their energy so that more degrees of freedom are activated, hence the entropy of the whole system increase. that's why spontaneous emission happens, is that right?