Articles tagged with Entropy
Researchers at St John's College, University of Cambridge, developed a computer program that can answer the mind-bending puzzle of arranging 128 soft spheres. The solution, 10^250, vastly exceeds the total number of particles in the universe and has implications for understanding configurational entropy and its applications in physics ...
North Carolina State University researchers created an entropy-stabilized material made up of five different oxides in roughly equal amounts. The constituent atoms were evenly distributed and their placement in the crystalline lattice structure was random, proving that entropy can stabilize complex oxide alloys.
Researchers at UC Berkeley cooled a gas to record-low entropy and temperature, allowing them to model high-temperature superconductors. This achievement could lead to the discovery of new materials with superconducting properties without requiring cooling.
Researchers from the University of Maryland have described a new definition of chaos that can be applied to a wide range of chaotic systems. Expansion entropy, a flexible type of entropy, is used to identify chaotic behavior in models that are forced by external inputs. This new definition has the potential to help advance computer mod...
Using powerful computer simulations, researchers identified a material made of hafnium, nitrogen, and carbon with a melting point of over 4,400 kelvins, two-thirds the temperature at the surface of the sun. The next step is to synthesize the material and corroborate the findings in the lab.
High entropy alloys consist of four or more metals in equal amounts, exhibiting remarkable properties such as hardness and tensile strength at low temperatures. Researchers found that chromium and its spin play key roles in ordering the alloy's composition.
A new method applied to European temperature data reveals subtle changes in climate regularity, with time scales longer than a year showing less predictability. The study provides a map visualisation of the entropy results, highlighting the time scales which have changed most.
Scientists have uncovered a key factor driving iron's unique thermal behavior, revealing a synergy between magnetism and atomic vibrations that increases the metal's stability at high temperatures. This breakthrough could lead to more accurate predictions of steel properties and enable the development of new, stronger alloys.
Researchers have discovered a family of 'second laws' that govern the behavior of systems at very small scales, leading to counterintuitive phenomena and constraints on disorder. These new laws complement the traditional second law of thermodynamics, which describes the universe's growing state of disorder.
Researchers found that repeated-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation at the Guangming point induces distinct electroencephalogram signal patterns compared to other stimulation points. The study also revealed changes in visual response complexity in parietal, central, and temporal regions following this stimulation.
A new hypothesis resolves the inconsistency between energy expenditure and maximum entropy production principles, proposing that a system minimizes resistance to its driving process. This refinement unifies the principles under a single framework, with applications in hydrogeology and other fields.
Researchers found that repeated-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation at the Guangming point evokes distinct patterns in electroencephalogram signals compared to other nearby points. This study suggests a potential therapeutic application of this stimulation technique for modulating brain activity.
An international team of researchers found that a nanoparticle trapped with laser light temporarily violates the second law of thermodynamics, allowing it to release heat to hotter surroundings. This rare event occurs due to the non-equilibrium state created by cooling the nanoparticle below the surrounding gas temperature.
Scientists have successfully fabricated and studied thin films of spin ice, a material known for its unique properties. The researchers found that the normal entropy within these films disappears at about half a degree above absolute zero, restoring the Third Law of Thermodynamics.
The study reveals a decrease in global energy inequality, with the distribution of per-capita energy consumption approaching an exponential law. As nations like China move up the curve, energy consumption becomes increasingly concentrated among high-consuming nations.
A new study led by Steve Pressé reveals a preferred strategy for picking mathematical models with the greatest predictive power, emphasizing simplicity and avoiding unnecessary complexity. The study's findings support Occam's razor principle, suggesting that simpler theories are more likely to be correct.
Aalto University researchers have measured entropy production of electrons in a dual temperature system, revealing a connection between two definitions of entropy and significant implications for future nanoelectronic devices. The study used conductors at different temperatures to measure electronic entropy production according to both...
Researchers developed a real-time system for detecting and identifying epilepsy using a nonlinear dynamics index and support vector machine. The system effectively identifies epileptic electroencephalogram signals with good generalization ability, making it suitable for clinical applications.
Researchers applied the maximum entropy principle to Spain's population distribution, finding a 'socio-thermodynamic' theory that applies thermodynamics to human behaviour. The study predicts patterns in population growth and urbanization, with average 'q' value of 1.2 across provinces.
Computer simulations show that entropy can nudge particles into forming organized structures, with nearly 70% of tested shapes producing crystal-like structures. The researchers used 145 different shapes and analyzed how each behaved under different levels of crowding to predict which types of crystals would form.
A new study by a University of Illinois expert reveals that operational routines tend to move towards higher entropy due to complacency and lack of checks and balances. The research also found that mergers can cause decay in adherence to routines, while acquisitions by healthier firms can serve as a renewal.
Researchers used lithography to create achiral particles that spontaneously formed chiral super-structures with distinct orientations. Entropy played a key role in the emergence of chirality, contradicting traditional views on disorder and order. The discovery sheds new light on the physical origins of molecular handedness.
Researchers at the University of Nottingham have developed a method to create random molecular patterns by adjusting experimental conditions. This breakthrough could lead to better understanding of disorder and order in molecules, enabling the creation of functional nanoscale devices.
Researchers at Caltech used a novel method to calculate the dynamics of water molecules and found that entropy plays a crucial role in explaining why water spontaneously flows into carbon nanotubes. The team discovered three different reasons why water would flow freely into tubes, depending on diameter.
Researchers have discovered that quantum entanglement can create a cooling effect when deleting data, which could be used to mitigate heat generation in supercomputers. By understanding the connection between information theory and thermodynamics, they found that entropy is a lack of knowledge that can be exploited for cooling purposes.
A Purdue University researcher has used econophysics to demonstrate that under ideal circumstances, free markets promote fairness in salaries for workers. The study's findings suggest that the collective self-organizing dynamics of a free market economy lead to fairness as an emergent property.
The Clay Mathematics Institute awards Dr. Perelman the Millennium Prize for resolving the Poincaré conjecture, a century-long quest in mathematics. Perelman's breakthrough proof uses the Ricci flow method and introduces new ideas and techniques.
A team from Harvard University led by Vinothan Manoharan and Michael Brenner presents clues to how groups of atoms and molecules favor less symmetrical geometric patterns. Entropy plays a key role in the formation of these complex structures, which are more likely to occur due to their flexibility.
Scientists at the University of Michigan discovered that certain pyramid shapes can spontaneously organize into intricate quasicrystals without any external interactions. This finding could lead to the development of new materials with unique properties, such as optical properties useful for communication and stealth technologies.
A new theory proposes a method to determine fair CEO compensation using information theory and statistical thermodynamics. The ratio of CEO pay to the lowest employee salary has increased significantly in recent years, with US CEOs averaging around 344-to-1, raising questions about market efficiency.
Researchers at two Italian universities create method to transfer entropy from potassium atoms to surrounding rubidium atoms, enabling control over ultra-cold matter. This breakthrough technique opens new possibilities for physics research at extremely low temperatures and entropies.
Researchers at Penn School Medicine observe and measure internal motion in proteins, revealing its impact on function and overturning traditional views. This discovery may explain why drug design fails more often than it works.
Researchers propose an alternative mode for characterizing and quantifying information, focusing on individual perception and attention. Their theory outperforms existing methods in capturing human bias toward surprising locations, with potential applications in data mining and understanding complex environments.
A new study found declining residential inequality between whites and African Americans since 1970, while Latino and Asian segregation remained stagnant or increased. The research suggests that changes in income equality may drive these trends.
Researchers Sean Carroll and Jennifer Chen suggest infinite entropy, rather than finite, resolves the universe's low entropy, allowing for an eternal cycle of inflation and increasing entropy. This approach resolves a long-standing puzzle in physics, explaining why time flows in only one direction.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that adding a 'fuzz' of chemical chains to colloidal molecules can lead to the formation of predictable arrays of lattices. This entropy-driven phenomenon offers promise for designing new materials rationally rather than through trial and error.
Researchers measured entropic forces exerted by rod-shaped viruses on particles in water, revealing additional effects of flexibility. The findings suggest that flexible viruses can effectively occupy more space, driving rearrangements in the system and increasing attraction between spheres.
Researchers analyzing humpback whale calls with information theory claim the animals may have a hierarchical grammar. The study measured entropy in the songs, finding predictable sequences of sounds that hint at complex communication.
Physicists have demonstrated that single photons and other quantum particles can store a maximum amount of readable information in the presence of noise and real-world disturbances. This finding provides insights into how little energy is required to store complex messages, advancing the idea that information is physical in nature.