Uploaded July 2018 | Updated September 2026, 6 hours ago
The resource theory of non-thermal states provides a lean and powerful framework to calculate the thermal behavior of quantum systems. Some scientists even claim that it has “advanced our understanding of fundamental physical principles, such as the second law of thermodynamics” (del Rio et al., 2015, p.1). It is furthermore said that thermodynamics itself can be derived from resource theoretic considerations, since “the free energy of thermodynamics emerges naturally from the resource theory of energy-preserving transformations” (Brandão et al., 2013, p.1).
Here I want to probe the claim that resource theories provide us with a deeper understanding of thermodynamics. I will do so by comparing them to the axiomatic approaches developed by Carathéodory and by Lieb and Yngvason. At the center of such axiomatic formulations is the concept of adiabatic accessibility. A state is said to be adiabatically accessible from another if the thermodynamic system in question can evolve into it without exchanging heat or matter with the environment. This notion of adiabatic accessibility has a striking resemblance to the order relations encountered in the resource theory of nonuniformity and the resource theory of non-thermal states, each of which define at least one measure on the resource states that is monotonically non-decreasing under the set of allowed transformation. In my talk I will explore similarities and differences between the two approaches and discuss whether resource theories indeed provide us with a deeper insight into thermodynamics.
Annual UWO Philosophy of Physics Conference
Thermodynamics as a Resource Theory: Foundational and Philosophical Implications
June 20-22, 2018
philphysics.uwo.ca
Carina Prunkl, University of Oxford
Visit the Rotman website for more information on applications, events, project descriptions, and openings. rotman.uwo.ca
Follow The Rotman Institute on Twitter: twitter.com/rotmanphilo
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The resource theory of non-thermal states provides a lean and powerful framework to calculate the thermal behavior of quantum systems. Some scientists even claim that it has “advanced our understanding of fundamental physical principles, such as the second law of thermodynamics” (del Rio et al., 2015, p.1). It is furthermore said that thermodynamics itself can be derived from resource theoretic considerations, since “the free energy of thermodynamics emerges naturally from the resource theory of energy-preserving transformations” (Brandão et al., 2013, p.1).
Here I want to probe the claim that resource theories provide us with a deeper understanding of thermodynamics. I will do so by comparing them to the axiomatic approaches developed by Carathéodory and by Lieb and Yngvason. At the center of such axiomatic formulations is the concept of adiabatic accessibility. A state is said to be adiabatically accessible from another if the thermodynamic system in question can evolve into it without exchanging heat or matter with the environment. This notion of adiabatic accessibility has a striking resemblance to the order relations encountered in the resource theory of nonuniformity and the resource theory of non-thermal states, each of which define at least one measure on the resource states that is monotonically non-decreasing under the set of allowed transformation. In my talk I will explore similarities and differences between the two approaches and discuss whether resource theories indeed provide us with a deeper insight into thermodynamics.
Annual UWO Philosophy of Physics Conference
Thermodynamics as a Resource Theory: Foundational and Philosophical Implications
June 20-22, 2018
philphysics.uwo.ca
Carina Prunkl, University of Oxford
Visit the Rotman website for more information on applications, events, project descriptions, and openings. rotman.uwo.ca
Follow The Rotman Institute on Twitter: twitter.com/rotmanphilo
Like The Rotman Institute on Facebook: facebook.com/rotmanphilosophy
Subscribe to our channel: youtube.com/user/rotmanphilosophy
