Two UA physicists have discovered that basic concepts such as “hot” or “cold” apply to any system, even those far from equilibrium. Challenging established wisdom, the findings could possibly inform the design of future microelectronic devices and help bring some order around fundamental concepts in thermodynamics. (more…)
The likelihood of seeing quantum systems violating the second law of thermodynamics has been calculated by UCL scientists.
In two papers, published in Physical Review X and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the team determined a more precise version of a basic law of physics – which says that disorder tends to increase with time unless acted on by an outside force – and applied it to the smallest quantum systems. (more…)
When the “war on cancer” was declared with the signing of the National Cancer Act in 1971, identifying potential physical traits, or biomarkers, that would allow doctors to detect the disease early on was a significant goal. To this day, progress in the battle against cancer depends on understanding the underlying causes and molecular mechanisms of the disease.
In a new study, UCLA researchers analyzed the gene-expression profiles of more than 2,000 patients and were able to identify cancer-specific gene signatures for breast, lung, prostate and ovarian cancers. The study applied an innovative approach to gene-array analysis known as “surprisal analysis,” which uses the principles of thermodynamics — the study of the relationship between different forms of energy — to understand cellular processes in cancer. (more…)
Ever wonder why sand can both run through an hourglass like a liquid and be solid enough to support buildings? It’s because granular materials – like sand or dirt – can change their behavior, or state. Researchers from North Carolina State University have found that the forces individual grains exert on one another are what most affect that transition.
Physicists have explored the changing behavior of granular materials by comparing it to what happens in thermodynamic systems. In a thermodynamic system, you can change the state of a material – like water – from a liquid to a gas by adding energy (heat) to the system. One of the most fundamental and important observations about temperature, however, is that it has the ability to equilibrate: a hot cup of tea eventually cools to match the temperature of the room. (more…)
