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Biomedical subjects

I Prigogine

Publications and source records attributed to I Prigogine.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1977

Microscopic theory of irreversible processes.

The microscopic theory of irreversible processes that we developed is summarized and illustrated, using as a simple example the Friedrichs model. Our approach combines the Poincaré's point of view (dynamical interpretation of irreversibility) with the Gibbs-Einstein ensemble point of view. It essentially consists in a nonunitary transformation theory based on the symmetry properties of the Liouville equation and dealing with continuous spectrum. The second law acquires a microscopic content in terms of a Liapounov function which is a quadratic functional of the density operator. In our new representation of dynamics, which is defined for a restricted set of observables and states, this functional takes a universal form. We obtain, in this way, a semi-group description, the generator of which contains a part directly related to the microscopic entropy production. The Friedrichs model gives us a simple field theoretical example for which the entropy production can be evaluated. The thermodynamical meaning of life-times is explicitly displayed. The transition from pure states to mixtures, as well as the occurrence of long tails in thermodynamic systems, are also briefly discussed.

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PubMed1976

Kinetic theory and ergodic properties.

It is often assumed that the justification of kinetic theory lies in ergodic theory. From the properties of the collision operator, which plays a basic role in our kinetic description of dynamical systems, we show that this is not the case. We deduce that the asymptotic behavior of a class of states and observables is determined by the collisional invariants, independently of the ergodicity of the system. The relation between our conclusion and the stability concepts for classical Hamiltonian systems, introduced by Moser and others, is briefly indicated.

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PubMed1974

The thermodynamic stability theory of non-equilibrium States.

The paper by J. Keizer and R. F. Fox entitled "Qualms Regarding the Range of Validity of the Glansdorff-Prigogine Criterion for Stability of Non-Equilibrium States" [(1974) Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 71, 192-196.] is shown to be based on a misunderstanding of the work of the Brussels group. In order to avoid further confusion, we summarize the formulation of the stability criterion in accordance with our published work. The differences with the presentation by Keizer and Fox are pointed out and it is shown that, when correctly applied, our approach does not lead to any contradiction with other methods available for studying stability.

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PubMed1974

Entropy, dynamics, and molecular chaos.

With the help of simple probabilistic models of Kac and McKean, we discuss the meaning of the generalized expression for entropy that was recently introduced by our group and compare it with Boltzmann's expression. We emphasize the fact that Boltzmann's formulation in terms of the single particle distribution function, f(1), requires very restricted assumptions about the preparation of the system (chaos) and the nature of the collision mechanism (Markov processes).Our generalized [unk]-theorem, however, refers to the complete system; in general, it does not lead to an [unk]-theorem for the single particle distribution function, f(1). It is valid whatever the preparation of the system. In McKean's model, situations exist where it gives the correct behavior while the Boltzmann's expression for entropy becomes meaningless. In addition, in Kac's model, we show that correlations reach equilibrium more rapidly than f(1) and that there is an asymptotic regime where both formulations give the same result.

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PubMed1972

Dissipative properties of quantum systems.

We consider the dissipative properties of large quantum systems from the point of view of kinetic theory. The existence of a nontrivial collision operator imposes restrictions on the possible collisional invariants of the system. We consider a model in which a discrete level is coupled to a set of quantum states and which, in the limit of a large "volume," becomes the Friedrichs model. Because of its simplicity this model allows a direct calculation of the collision operator as well as of related operators and the constants of the motion. For a degenerate spectrum the calculations become more involved but the conclusions remain simple. The special role played by the invariants that are functions of the Hamiltonion is shown to be a direct consequence of the existence of a nonvanishing collision operator. For a class of observables we obtain ergodic behavior, and this reformulation of the ergodic problem may be used in statistical mechanics to study the ergodicity of large quantum systems containing a small physical parameter such as the coupling constant or the concentration.

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PubMed1971

Fluctuations in nonequilibrium systems.

The theory of fluctuations is extended to nonlinear systems far from equilibrium. Systems whose evolution involves two separate time scales, e.g., chemically reacting mixtures near a local equilibrium regime, are studied in detail. It is shown that the usual stochastic description of chemical kinetics based on a "birth and death" model is inadequate and has to be replaced by a more detailed phase-space description. This enables one to develop for such systems a plausible mechanism for the emergence of instabilities, in which the departure from the steady state is governed by large fluctuations of macroscopic size, while small thermal fluctuations are still described by a generalization of Einstein's equilibrium theory. On the other hand, far from a local equilibrium regime, infinitesimal fluctuations may increase and attain macroscopic values. In this case the system evolves to a state of "generalized turbulence", in which the distinction between macroscopic averages and fluctuations becomes meaningless.

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PubMed1970

Dynamics of systems with large number of degrees of freedom and generalized transformation theory.

A generalized transformation theory which leads to a non-Hamiltonian description of dynamics is introduced. The transformation is such that all averages of observables remain invariant. However, the time evolution of the density matrix can no longer be expressed in terms of a commutator with the Hamiltonian. Therefore such transformations are not canonical in the usual sense. An explicit "two components" representation of the equations of motion is given which has the following properties: (a) each of the components satisfies a separate equation of motion, and (b) one component satisfies a kinetic equation of a generalized Boltzmann type.WE OBTAIN, THEREFORE, THE MOST REMARKABLE RESULT THAT THE RELATION BETWEEN DYNAMICS AND STATISTICAL MECHANICS (OR THERMODYNAMICS) TAKES A SPECIALLY TRANSPARENT AND SIMPLE FORM: thermodynamics appears in a precise sense as the random phase approximation of dynamics.Other problems such as the meaning of diagonalization of the Hamiltonian and definition of excitations will be treated in a forthcoming paper.

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PubMed1970

Physical particle representation and generalized transformation theory.

The investigation of the recently described generalized transformation theory which leads to a non-Hamiltonian description of dynamics is pursued. The concept of generalized unitary transformations of superoperators is introduced and a specific class of transformations studied. For nondissipative systems it is equivalent to the usual unitary transformations that diagonalize the Hamiltonian. The important point is that this class of transformations remains meaningful for dissipative systems, hence a new representation of dynamics that we shall call the "physical particle" representation. It has the following properties: (a) The energy (or an arbitrary function of the energy) is represented by a diagonal matrix. (b) In the ((0))II space (see these Proceedings, 65, 789 (1970)) corresponding to the coherent processes, the evolution can be described in terms of the changes in population of the physical particles. (c) At thermodynamic equilibrium, the physical particles are uncorrelated and behave as independent entities; the entropy has a purely combinatorial meaning.A full description of dynamics in this representation will be given in a forth-coming paper.

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