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The Second Law, a cornerstone of thermodynamics, governs the
average direction of dissipative, non-equilibrium processes. But it
says nothing about their actual rates or the probability of
fluctuations about the average. This interdisciplinary book,
written and peer-reviewed by international experts, presents recent
advances in the search for new non-equilibrium principles beyond
the Second Law, and their applications to a wide range of systems
across physics, chemistry and biology. Beyond The Second Law brings
together traditionally isolated areas of non-equilibrium research
and highlights potentially fruitful connections between them, with
entropy production playing the unifying role. Key theoretical
concepts include the Maximum Entropy Production principle, the
Fluctuation Theorem, and the Maximum Entropy method of statistical
inference. Applications of these principles are illustrated in such
diverse fields as climatology, cosmology, crystal growth
morphology, Earth system science, environmental physics,
evolutionary biology and technology, fluid turbulence, microbial
biogeochemistry, plasma physics, and radiative transport, using a
wide variety of analytical and experimental techniques. Beyond The
Second Law will appeal to students and researchers wishing to gain
an understanding of entropy production and its central place in the
science of non-equilibrium systems – both in detail and in terms
of the bigger picture.
The Second Law, a cornerstone of thermodynamics, governs the
average direction of dissipative, non-equilibrium processes. But it
says nothing about their actual rates or the probability of
fluctuations about the average. This interdisciplinary book,
written and peer-reviewed by international experts, presents recent
advances in the search for new non-equilibrium principles beyond
the Second Law, and their applications to a wide range of systems
across physics, chemistry and biology. Beyond The Second Law brings
together traditionally isolated areas of non-equilibrium research
and highlights potentially fruitful connections between them, with
entropy production playing the unifying role. Key theoretical
concepts include the Maximum Entropy Production principle, the
Fluctuation Theorem, and the Maximum Entropy method of statistical
inference. Applications of these principles are illustrated in such
diverse fields as climatology, cosmology, crystal growth
morphology, Earth system science, environmental physics,
evolutionary biology and technology, fluid turbulence, microbial
biogeochemistry, plasma physics, and radiative transport, using a
wide variety of analytical and experimental techniques. Beyond The
Second Law will appeal to students and researchers wishing to gain
an understanding of entropy production and its central place in the
science of non-equilibrium systems - both in detail and in terms of
the bigger picture.
There is a widespread assumption that the universe in general, and
life in particular, is 'getting more complex with time'. This book
brings together a wide range of experts in science, philosophy and
theology and unveils their joint effort in exploring this idea.
They confront essential problems behind the theory of complexity
and the role of life within it: what is complexity? When does it
increase, and why? Is the universe evolving towards states of ever
greater complexity and diversity? If so, what is the source of this
universal enrichment? This book addresses those difficult
questions, and offers a unique cross-disciplinary perspective on
some of the most profound issues at the heart of science and
philosophy. Readers will gain insights in complexity that reach
deep into key areas of physics, biology, complexity science,
philosophy and religion.
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