Thermodynamic Definitions of Temperature and Kappa and Introduction of the Entropy Defect

This paper develops explicit and consistent definitions of the independent thermodynamic properties of temperature and the kappa index within the framework of nonextensive statistical mechanics and shows their connection with the formalism of kappa distributions. By defining the “entropy defect” in the composition of a system, we show how the nonextensive entropy of systems with correlations differs from the sum of the entropies of their constituents of these systems. A system is composed extensively when its elementary subsystems are independent, interacting with no correlations; this leads to an extensive system entropy, which is simply the sum of the subsystem entropies. In contrast, a system is composed nonextensively when its elementary subsystems are connected through long-range interactions that produce correlations. This leads to an entropy defect that quantifies the missing entropy, analogous to the mass defect that quantifies the mass (energy) associated with assembling subatomic particles. We develop thermodynamic definitions of kappa and temperature that connect with the corresponding kinetic definitions originated from kappa distributions. Finally, we show that the entropy of a system, composed by a number of subsystems with correlations, is determined using both discrete and continuous descriptions, and find: (i) the resulted entropic form expressed in terms of thermodynamic parameters; (ii) an optimal relationship between kappa and temperature; and (iii) the correlation coefficient to be inversely proportional to the temperature logarithm.

Rectifiability of entropy defect measures in a micromagnetics model

We study the fine properties of a class of weak solutions u of the eikonal equation arising as asymptotic domain of a family of energy functionals introduced in [T. Rivière and S. Serfaty, Limiting domain wall energy for a problem related to micromagnetics, Comm. Pure Appl. Math. 54 2001, 3, 294–338]. In particular, we prove that the entropy defect measure associated to u is concentrated on a 1-rectifiable set, which detects the jump-type discontinuities of u.

ON THE CASIMIR ENTROPY BETWEEN "PERFECT CRYSTALS"

We give a re-interpretation of an 'entropy defect' in the electromagnetic Casimir effect. The electron gas in a perfect crystal is an electromagnetically disordered system whose entropy contains a finite Casimir-like contribution. The Nernst theorem (third law of thermodynamics) is not applicable.