What Is the True Physical Meaning of Entropy in Various Fields of Physics?

[wolram]

http://arxiv.org/abs/nucl-th/0603028

Authors: D.H.E.Gross
Comments: 7 pages, 1 figure, presnted at XILV internat. winter meeting on nuclear physics in Bormio(Italy) 2006, January 29- Febr. 5
Subj-class: Nuclear Theory; Statistical Mechanics

The physical meaning of entropy is analyzed in the context of statistical, nuclear, atomic physics and cosmology. Only the microcanonical Boltzmann entropy leads to no contradictions in several simple, elementary and for thermodynamics important situations. The conventional canonical statistics implies several serious errors and misinterpretations. This has far reaching consequences for phase-separations as well for the usual formulations of the second law. Applications in cosmology suffer under the ubiquitous use of canonical statistics. New reformulations in terms of microcanonical statistics are highly demanded but certainly difficult.

 

[gtoguy97]

The idea of entropy as a measure of disorder has been well established since Ludwig Boltzmann's pioneering work in the 19th century. However, its physical meaning and implications have often been misunderstood and misinterpreted, leading to erroneous conclusions in many areas of physics. In this article, we analyze the physical meaning of entropy in the context of statistical, nuclear, atomic physics and cosmology. We show that only the microcanonical Boltzmann entropy leads to no contradictions in several simple, elementary and for thermodynamics important situations. The conventional canonical statistics implies several serious errors and misinterpretations. This has far reaching consequences for phase-separations as well for the usual formulations of the second law. Applications in cosmology suffer under the ubiquitous use of canonical statistics. New reformulations in terms of microcanonical statistics are highly demanded but certainly difficult.