2003/02/06 by Adam Gadomski, A. Gadomski, Gadomski, A. +3
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #FOS: Physical sciences #Phase Equilibria and Thermodynamics #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) #Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech) #Statistical Mechanics and Entropy #cond-mat.soft #cond-mat.stat-mech
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.cond-mat/0302118
11 pages, 1 figure
arxiv created 2003/02/06 · openalex publication_date 2003/02/06 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Matter agglomeration mesoscopic phenomena of irreversible type are well described by nonequilibrium thermodynamics formalism. The description assumes that the thermodynamic (internal) state variables are in local equilibrium, and uses the well known flux-force relations, with the Onsager coefficients involved, ending eventually up at a local conservation law of Fokker-Planck type. One of central problems arising when applying it to the matter agglomeration phenomena, quite generally termed nucleation-and-growth process, appears to be some physically accepted identification of entropic barriers, or factors impeding growth. In this paper, we wish to propose certain geometric-kinetic obstacles as serious candidates for the so-called entropic barriers. Within the framework of the thermodynamic formalism offered they are always associated with a suitable choice of a physical potential governing the system. It turns out that a certain choice of the potential of Coulomb (or, gravitational) type leads to emphasizing the role of the Gaussian curvature while another choice in a form of the logaritmic physical potential results unavoidably in a pronounced role of the mean curvature. The whole reasoning has been tested succesfully on a statistical-mechanical polycris- talline evolution model introduced some years ago for physical-metalurgical purposes, and modified for a use in biophysical soft-matter agglomerations.