When does a Boltzmannian equilibrium exist?

Werndl, Charlotte and Frigg, Roman ORCID: 0000-0003-0812-0907 (2023) When does a Boltzmannian equilibrium exist? In: Soto, Cristián, (ed.) Current Debates in Philosophy of Science: In Honor of Roberto Torretti. Synthese Library (477). Springer Nature Switzerland, Cham, Switzerland, 247 – 273. ISBN 9783031323744

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Abstract

We present a definition of equilibrium for Boltzmannian statistical mechanics based on the long-run fraction of time a system spends in a state. We then formulate and prove an existence theorem which provides general criteria for the existence of an equilibrium state. We illustrate how the theorem works with toy example. After a look at the ergodic programme, we discuss equilibria in a number of different gas systems: the ideal gas, the dilute gas, the Kac gas, the stadium gas, the mushroom gas and the multi-mushroom gas.

Item Type:	Book Section
Additional Information:	© 2023 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Divisions:	Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General) Q Science > QC Physics
Date Deposited:	05 Jan 2024 14:54
Last Modified:	11 Dec 2024 18:11
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/121180

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