In the solution of the superintegrable chiral Potts model special polynomials related to the representation theory of the Onsager algebra play a central role. We derive approximate analytic formulae for the zeros of particular polynomials which determine sets of low-lying energy eigenvalues of the chiral Potts quantum chain. These formulae allow the analytic calculation of the leading finite-si...

The procedures used to obtain general expressions for the components of the effective dielectric tensor for electromagnetic waves in inhomogeneous magnetized plasmas are briefly reviewed, and the relationship between these expressions and their counterparts which can be obtained assuming electrostatic fluctuations is discussed. It is argued that a general formulation formerly available in the l...

Onsager crosses are particles formed by rigidly connecting three perpendicular, elongated rods of length L and diameter D . We have investigated the behaviour of the virial coe cients of Onsager crosses as a function of the aspect ratio L /D of the rods. The interest in these particles stems from the fact that they should exhibit a cubatic liquid crystalline phase in the limit (L /D ) ® ¥ . It...

The concept of second entropy is introduced for the dynamic transitions between macrostates. It is used to develop a theory for fluctuations in velocity, and is exemplified by deriving Onsager reciprocal relations for Brownian motion. The cases of free, driven, and pinned Brownian particles are treated in turn, and Stokes' law is derived. The second entropy analysis is applied to the general ca...

The permanent dipole moment of a class of merocyanine dyes in their ground and first excited singlet state has been determined studying the influence of an external electric field on the absorption of the compounds in various solvents. Evaluation of the experimental results on the basis of the Onsager reaction field model also gives values for the polarizability in the ground and excited state,...

The Minimum Rate of Dissipation Principle (MRDP) affirms that, for timeindependent boundary conditions, a thermodynamic system evolves towards a steady-state with the least possible dissipation. In this note, examples of diffusion processes of two solutes in an isothermal system are analyzed in detail. In particular, we consider the relaxation of the system when the metric tensor (i.e. the Onsa...