Elementary Thermodynamics

How important is thermodynamics for identifying elementary flux modes?

We present a method for computing thermodynamically feasible elementary flux modes (tEFMs) using equilibrium constants without need of internal metabolite concentrations. The method is compared with the method based on a binary distinction between reversible and irreversible reactions. When all reactions are reversible, adding the constraints based on equilibrium constants reduces the number of...

Thermodynamics of Irreversible Processes across a Boundary: Elementary Principles

The commonly used thermodynamic variables are generalized so as to take account of irreversible processes across a thin boundary separating a system from its surroundings. This permits one to relate heat transfer and work performance in irreversible processes to those carried out reversibly. The commonly used functions of state have been generalized to include the contribution of irreversible c...

Elementary categories, elementary toposes

A review of quantum thermodynamics

In this article, we present a brief and elementary review of quantum thermodynamics and its achievements and challenges. This review includes an introduction to some fundamental concepts such as internal energy, heat, work, entropy, entropy production, thermal equilibrium, second law of quantum thermodynamics, relation between thermodynamics and information theory, as well as a discussion of ho...

Granular Thermodynamics

We present experimental evidence for a strong analogy between quasi-2D uniform non-equilibrium steady states (NESS) of excited granular materials and equilibrium thermodynamics. Under isochoric conditions we find that the structure of granular NESS, as measured by the radial distribution function, the bond order parameter, and the distribution of Voronoi cells, is the same as that found in equi...