Entropy Webinar | Trends in the Second Law of Thermodynamics
the chair
Good morning! It is with great pleasure that I welcome the speakers and all attendees of this webinar, titled “Trends in the Second Law of Thermodynamics”. The webinar will feature three presentations by esteemed experts in the field, covering a wide range of topics related to the Second Law of Thermodynamics and its applications.
The first talk will explore nuclear processes through a classical thermodynamic approach. Unlike conventional nuclear physics analyses, engineering thermodynamics considers changes in entropy—a parameter often overlooked. Notably, entropy plays different roles in fission (ΔS > 0) and fusion (ΔS < 0) reaction. While fission reactions are always spontaneous regardless of temperature, in fusion reactions, temperature acts as a very powerful amplifier of the entropic term (- TΔS). At very high temperatures, this amplification can significantly reduce the thermodynamic spontaneity of fusion processes. This occurs because a portion of the Q-value is used to balance the entropic term, which has a non-negligible impact on the energy efficiency of fusion systems. This effect should be considered in the design of future tokamaks.
In the second talk, we will elucidate the relationship between the Second Law of Thermodynamics and the Carnot engine. It is commonly believed that the First Law of Thermodynamics prohibits a perpetuum mobile of the first kind, while the Second principle prohibits a perpetuum mobile of the second kind. In addition, the Carnot engine is often regarded as an unrealistic model of an ideal engine. However, there is one obvious and another potential loophole in the above-mentioned approach. Firstly, located between the Carnot engine and the perpetuum mobile of the second kind is a perpetuum mobile of the third kind, which is exactly prohibited by the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Secondly, the Carnot engine is not a form of prohibited perpetuum mobile. Before a model of a real Carnot engine can be developed, it is necessary to define what exactly such an engine is supposed to represent. Paradoxically, it does not necessarily need to be a reversible engine. The concept of this engine should be the compatibility of work with a comparative cycle that mirrors the Carnot cycle.
In the third talk, we investigate what happens when we move away from equilibrium and the Second Law of Thermodynamics. When particles distribute themselves across different energy levels, a Boltzmann distribution typically emerges. Most textbooks feature derivations showing how the Boltzmann distribution maximizes entropy. A Boltzmann distribution also occurs when “noisy” Brownian particles move in a potential well. However, they only do so if the noise is Gaussian, i.e., the kicks that each particle receives from the surrounding particles follow a Gaussian distribution. Lévy noise is a generalization of Gaussian noise; however, it features a “fat” power law tail and a resulting infinite variance. There is no comprehensive nonequilibrium theory as there is with equilibrium noise. But it appears that many nonequilibrium setups in physics, i.e. setups where energy is converted or transported, exhibit Lévy noise. Notable examples include systems in plasma physics and astrophysics. Conversely, simulations and derivations suggest that the introduction of Lévy noise leads to non-Boltzmann distributions, violations of detailed balance, and dissipation of energy.
Date: 30 May 2025
Time: 10:00 am CEST | 4:00 pm CST Asia | 6:00 pm AEST
Webinar ID: 889 6490 7888
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Meet the Event Chair
Meet Our Speakers
Dr. Silvano Tosti
Nuclear Department, ENEA, Frascati, Italy;
Dr. Silvano Tosti obtained his Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering in Rome in 1983. He has been a researcher in the ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development) since 1985, and at the ENEA Frascati laboratories since 1993. His primary research focuses are as follows:: i) Research and development of processes and technologies in the fusion fuel cycle for tritium extraction and recovery; ii) Study of processes for hydrogen production in membrane reactors and development of membrane technologies to produce ultra-pure hydrogen; iii) Study of the hydrogen–metal systems in terms of hydrogen diffusivity, solubility, and permeation into metals.
From 2011 to present, he has been the Head of the Nuclear Technology Laboratory of the Nuclear Department. He has also held the following memberships:
• 2019 to present—Technical Advisory Panel of F4E (Fusion for Energy);
• 2016–2020 —Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) of the EUROfusion programme.
He has authored 140 articles published in international scientific journals, 11 chapters in scientific books, 26 patents (6 of which are international), and made more than 90 contributions to various conferences. His h-index is 37 (Scopus, Apr. 2025).
Dr. Grzegorz Koczan
Department of Mechanical Processing of Wood, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, Poland;
Dr. Grzegorz Marcin Koczan graduated in 2002 with a Master's degree in Physics from the University of Warsaw, Poland. In 2006, he completed his third-level studies (doctoral) at the same institution. In the following years, he taught physics and mathematics through his own business, VECTORUS, and also collaborated with the school publishing house, WSiP. Since 2017, Grzegorz M. Koczan has been associated with the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, where he started working on his project and defended his doctoral thesis in 2021. He is currently employed as an assistant professor at this university, where he teaches, among others, metrology.
Prof. Dr. Martin Bier
Department of Physics, East Carolina University, Greenville, USA;
As a precocious 11-year-old, Martin Bier designed a way to fly on his bicycle. However, it was not long before he realized that the laws of nature would not allow this design to work. Nevertheless, physics and cycling have continued to be central motifs in his life and career. After earning an MS degree in Theoretical Physics at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, he went on to complete a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York. Subsequently, he worked in Maine, Lugano (Switzerland), Chicago, Krakow (Poland), and other locations. At present, he is a professor of physics at East Carolina University in the USA. His scientific work focuses on biophysics, statistical physics, and nonequilibrium systems. He also regularly contributes to magazines like the Skeptical Inquirer in the hope of exposing pseudoscientific delusions, such as human-powered flying bicycles and other such ideas.
Sponsors and Partners
organizer
On Friday, 30 May 2025, MDPI and Entropy organized a webinar entitled "Trends in the Second Law of Thermodynamics".
The webinar was hosted via Zoom and required prior registration to attend. The full recording can be accessed below. In order to learn about future webinars, you can sign up for our newsletter by clicking “Subscribe” at the top of the page.
| Speaker/Presentation | Time in CEST | Time in CST Asia |
|---|---|---|
| Prof. Dr. Roberto Zivieri Chair Introduction |
10:00–10:10 am | 4:00–4:10 pm |
| Dr. Silvano Tosti The Role of Entropy in Engineering Thermodynamics of Nuclear Fusion Processes |
10:10–10:30 am | 4:10–4:30 pm |
| Dr. Grzegorz Koczan Does the Second Principle of Thermodynamics Prohibit a Real Carnot Engine? |
10:30–10:50 am | 4:30–4:50 pm |
| Prof. Dr. Martin Bier What Happens When We Move Away from Equilibrium and the Second Law? |
10:50–11:10 am | 4:50–5:10 pm |
| Q&A | 11:10–11:25 am | 5:10–5:25 pm |
| Prof. Dr. Roberto Zivieri Closing of Webinar |
11:25–11:30 am | 5:25–5:30 pm |
"Trends in the Second Law of Thermodynamics"
Special Issue Editors: Prof. Dr. Roberto Zivieri and Dr. Israa Medlej
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2025