On Relativistic Thermodynamics.

"Relativistic thermodynamics" should be understood not as a generalization of a non-relativistic theory but as an application of a general thermodynamic framework, neutral as to spacetime setting and allowing arbitrary conserved quantities, to the specific case of relativity. That framework gives an...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Philosophy of Science Vol. 92; no. 3; pp. 688 - 708
Autor principal: Wallace, David
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Cambridge University Press Jul2025
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:"Relativistic thermodynamics" should be understood not as a generalization of a non-relativistic theory but as an application of a general thermodynamic framework, neutral as to spacetime setting and allowing arbitrary conserved quantities, to the specific case of relativity. That framework gives an unambiguous result as to the thermodynamics of relativistically moving systems (an answer coinciding with Einstein's, and Planck's, original results). Thermodynamic temperature is unambiguously defined as rate of change of energy with entropy at constant momentum; that said, its operational significance is limited and other measures of energy/entropy covariance, which incorporate momentum transfer, are often more useful.