Adiabatic processes need not correspond to optimal work

Details Adiabatic processes need not correspond to optimal work Adiabatic processes need not correspond to optimal work

2004-01-27

arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0401548v1

Physics

Condensed Matter

Statistical Mechanics

5 pages, 1 figure, revtex4

Scientific paper

10.1016/j.physe.2005.05.003

The minimum work principle states that work done on a thermally isolated equilibrium system is minimal for the adiabatically slow (reversible) realization of a given process. This principle, one of the formulations of the second law, is studied here for finite (possibly large) quantum systems interacting with macroscopic sources of work. It is shown to be valid as long as the adiabatic energy levels do not cross. If level crossing does occur, counter examples are discussed, showing that the minimum work principle can be violated and that optimal processes are neither adiabatically slow nor reversible.

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