Explaining Photon Entropy: G=<E>-TS+pV

  • Thread starter Thread starter blueyellow
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Entropy Photon
AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the derivation of the Gibbs free energy equation for photons, specifically how the terms 'TS' and 'pV' relate to energy. The transition from 'TS' to (4/3)<E> and from 'pV' to (1/3)<E> is explained through the properties of photon gas and integration over the Planck distribution. It is noted that pV = U/3 is often simplified by assuming one-third of photons collide with each wall of a container. Additionally, the entropy equation S = 4/3 U/T is derived from Stefan's law, which relates energy density to temperature. Understanding these relationships clarifies why Gibbs free energy for photons can be argued to equal zero due to their massless nature.
blueyellow
i have been revising but in my notes it says this about photon entropy:

G=<E>-TS+pV
=<E>-(4/3)<E>+(1/3)<E>=0

how did they go from 'TS' to (4/3)<E>
and pV to (1/3)<E>?
 
Science news on Phys.org
Don't know what information you're starting with. Actually it's much easier to argue G = 0 from the beginning! (because photons have zero mass). Otherwise you might get everything by integrating over the Planck distribution. pV = U/3 is often hand-waved (1/3 of the photons hit each wall), and S = 4/3 U/T usually comes from deriving Stefan's law U ~ T4 and then integrating dS = dU/T.
 
Been around 40 years since I took basic physics in college and while I remember doing some examples of insulation values / energy conduction, I doubt I could to the math now even if I could find the formulas. I have some some corrugated plastic sheet (think of the plastic signs you see on the side of the road) that is used in bee hives. Also have some used in a green house though a bit different in dimensions than this example but the general approach should still apply. Typically, both...
Problem: You’re an Uber driver with a Tesla Model 3. Today’s low: 30F, high: 65F. You want to reach a USD$ profit target in the least number of hours, but your choices could have added cost. Do you preheat the battery only when you are headed to the charging station (to increase the charging rate by warming the battery — however the battery might not be “warm enough” when your reach the charger and thus slower charging rates), or do you always “navigate to the charger” the entire day (which...
Thread 'Is Callen right in claiming dQ=TdS for all quasi-static processes?'
Hello! I am currently reading the second edition of Callen's Thermodynamics and an Introduction to Thermostatistics, and I have a question regarding Callen's definition of quasi-static. On page 96, Callen says: Another way of characterizing Callen's definition is that a process is quasi-static if it traces out a continuous curve in the system's configuration space. So far it's all well and good. A little later, Callen claims that the identification of $$TdS$$ as the heat transfer is only...
Back
Top