On the unattainability of the zero of temperature and BEC
by
M. Howard Lee(University of Georgia)
→
Europe/Rome
Aula Amaldi (Dip. di Fisica - Edificio G. Marconi)
Aula Amaldi
Dip. di Fisica - Edificio G. Marconi
Description
The third law of thermodynamics due to Nernst has several facets. The most readily demonstrated is the vanishing of the entropy as temperature goes to zero as in the ideal Fermi gas. Perhaps the most intriguing is its assertion that the zero of temperature is unattainable. Standard proofs seem to rest on the idea that the T=0 isotherm and the S=0 adiabat coincide, i.e. they are one and the same. But are these premises true? Is it true for an ideal Bose gas in BEC? Using the author's polylogs representation of quantum gases, this issue is re-examined. It is found tha! t the zero of temperature is indeed unattainable but not in the manner it has been described.
