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Understanding Thermodynamic Singularities: Phase Transitions, Data, and Phenomena

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Sorin Bangu
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Abstract

According to standard (quantum) statistical mechanics, the phenomenon of a phase transition, as described in classical thermodynamics, cannot be derived unless one assumes that the system under study is infinite. This is naturally puzzling since real systems are composed of a finite number of particles; consequently, a well-known reaction to this problem was to urge that the thermodynamic definition of phase transitions (in terms of singularities) should not be “taken seriously.” This article takes singularities seriously and analyzes their role by using the well-known distinction between data and phenomena, in an attempt to better understand the origin of the puzzle.

Type
Research Article
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 76 , Issue 4 , October 2009 , pp. 488 - 505
Copyright
Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

‡

I thank Robert Batterman, Craig Callender, Chuang Liu, Paul Humphreys, Alex Rueger, Margie Morrison, James Overton, Nic Fillion, Axel Gelfert, Roman Frigg, and the referees for this journal for their comments on earlier drafts. While I greatly benefited from this feedback, I am the only one responsible for all errors or inconsistencies left in this article.

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