Researchers are updating the 200-year-old mathematical foundations of thermodynamics, replacing traditional, imprecise methods with gauge theory—a mathematical framework typically used in quantum field theory. Led by theorists like Bryan Roberts at the London School of Economics, this update applies geometry to physical systems, aiming to give entropy and heat a much firmer and more rigorous footing.
This update addresses long-standing limitations in the mathematics of active and biological systems, as well as complex systems operating far from thermodynamic equilibrium.
The primary goals and outcomes of this mathematical restructuring include:
▫️Quantum Applications: Improving the understanding of how energy, work, and entropy function at the atomic and nanoscale levels, where traditional laws like the Carnot principle can break down.
▫️Space & Fluids: Expanding the First Law of Thermodynamics so it can calculate energy conversion in complex, out-of-equilibrium states such as plasmas and liquids.
▫️Biological Systems: Helping scientists better measure exactly how far-from-equilibrium biological processes (like cellular mechanisms) function, potentially opening the door to defining new thermodynamic rules for living matter.
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