EP 46 · 48:19

Non-equilibrium thermodynamics

From America 250: The Breakthroughs That Built American Science — Part 1

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Non-equilibrium thermodynamics extends the study of physical systems beyond equilibrium. The discussion introduces Onsager’s reciprocal relations and then turns to his exact solution of the two-dimensional Ising model.

Transcript

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48:19>> California on the board again 1931 backto backto back formulation of non-equilibrium thermodynamics in the 2D Ising model. Yes. So this was Lars Unzager. He was at Brown University at the time and he formulated the reciprocal relations of nonequilibrium thermodynamics. Equilibrium is when everything is soup. Everything is all the exchange is happening. It's steady state. Non-equilibrium is really where the magic is, right? We are non-equilibrium beings. Life is non-equilibrium. And so this is the first real sjourn of statistical mechanics out of equilibrium into the non-equilibrium phenomenon. Um this was in 1931 at Brown University. Later on he

49:03was at Yale. Yale poached him and he discovered the 2D Ising model, the exact mathematical solution. This was an open problem for a very long time and it was a tour to force in like mathematical physics. Everyone around the world was like wow I didn't even think it was possible >> and it was done.

From the episode
  1. EP 46

    America 250: The Breakthroughs That Built American Science — Part 1

    Part one of our America 250 special traces the inventions, institutions, and scientific breakthroughs — from Franklin to Sputnik — that helped build the United States into a global scientific power.

    America 250: The Breakthroughs That Built American Science — Part 1

America 250History of Science