Michael Widom, "Information-theoretic approaches to calculating thermodynamic entropy"
Join us on November 29 at 2:30pm in White Hall G09 for a colloquium presented by Dr. Michael Widom, professor of physics at Carnegie Mellon University. He will speak on Information-theoretic approaches to calculating thermodynamic entropy . Continue reading for Dr. Widom's abstract.Abstract
The thermodynamic entropy of matter equals (in suitable units) the information required
to precisely specify its state. In a fully random substitutional alloy of N chemical
species, log(N) bits of information per site are required to specify the site occupations.
In an ideal gas of volume V, the information required to locate each molecule grows
as log(V). If the alloy is not fully random, or the gas is not ideal, then prior
information contained in positional correlations becomes redundant, and the thermodynamic
entropy falls below its ideal value to a quantifiable extent. We will illustrate
practical applications of this principal that allow us to model phase separation
and eutectics in liquid alloys; the substitutional entropy of high entropy alloys;
and the HCP/BCC transition of elemental titanium.