Can quantum systems become more disordered, as thermodynamics would predict? Yes, they can - if a proper definition of "entropy" is used. It is one of the most important laws of nature that we know: ...

Though a cornerstone of thermodynamics, entropy remains one of the most vexing concepts to teach budding physicists in the classroom. Physics teachers designed a hand-held model to demonstrate the ...

How it works When laser light passes through a cavity filled with atoms, part of it can do useful work. In this example the work is charging a quantum battery (top). The rest of the light turns into ...

We all know that to have life on a world, you need three critical items: water, warmth, and food. Now add to that a factor called "entropy." It plays a role in determining if a given planet can ...

Statistical physicists have long known that brief reductions in entropy are possible. Now, entropy changes in two nonequilibrium systems have been calculated exactly. The second law of thermodynamics ...

For more than a century, gravity has been the stubborn outlier in physics, resisting every attempt to merge Einstein’s smooth space-time with the jittery world of quantum mechanics. A new wave of ...

For more than a century, gravity has been the stubborn outlier in physics, perfectly described on cosmic scales yet refusing to mesh with the quantum rules that govern everything else. A growing camp ...

Electron–proton collisions Study reveals importance of entanglement entropy. (Courtesy: Kevin Coughlin/Brookhaven National Laboratory) An international team of physicists has used the principle of ...

A tool for estimating the local entropy production rate of a system enables the visualization and quantification of the out-of-equilibrium regions of an active-matter system. Figure 1: Researchers ...

Though a cornerstone of thermodynamics, entropy remains one of the most vexing concepts to teach budding physicists in the classroom. As a result, many people oversimplify the concept as the amount of ...