New Discovery by Physicists Changes the Understanding of First Law of Thermodynamics

"Physicists from West Virginia University published a study that presents a newer understanding of an age-old limitation of the first law of thermodynamics."

"Researchers have found an application of this law to systems that are not in thermodynamic equilibrium, which are prevalent in space plasma."

"The researchers found a way forward to quantify all the energy conversion that was not described by density and pressure."

 "This advancement could revolutionize how we understand complex energetic systems and has applications in chemistry, circuitry, quantum computing, space weather, and other areas of physics and other sciences."

The researchers found that other quantities, like those describing gasses, liquids, or plasma when they are not in equilibrium, won't fall under the first law of thermodynamics."

This kind of breakthrough was accomplished by a team led by Paul Cassak, professor, and associate director of the Center for KINETIC Plasma Physics, and graduate research assistant Hasan Barbhuiya, both from the Department of Physics and Astronomy."

"Their research is important because out-of-equilibrium systems are found everywhere in the universe, including in substances like space plasma, found in many places from the tails of comets to the outer layers of stars."

The team's mathematical description of these additional properties seem like an opportunity for physicists."

"These kinds of drastic changes in our understanding of physics do not happen often and when it does, it has the potential to hugely influence the field and those associated with it."

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