Derivation of the Critical Point Scaling Hypothesis Using Thermodynamics Only

Based on the foundations of thermodynamics and the equilibrium conditions for the coexistence of two phases in a magnetic Ising-like system, we show, first, that there is a critical point where the isothermal susceptibility diverges and the specific heat may remain finite, and second, that near the...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Víctor Romero-Rochín
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-04-01
Series:Entropy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/22/5/502
Description
Summary:Based on the foundations of thermodynamics and the equilibrium conditions for the coexistence of two phases in a magnetic Ising-like system, we show, first, that there is a critical point where the isothermal susceptibility diverges and the specific heat may remain finite, and second, that near the critical point the entropy of the system, and therefore all free energies, do obey scaling. Although we limit ourselves to such a system, we elaborate about the possibilities of finding universality, as well as the precise values of the critical exponents using thermodynamics only.
ISSN:1099-4300