This article details why the mesoscopic quantum phenomenon known as persistent current challenges the second law of thermodynamics. The persistent current is an equilibrium phenomenon as real as Nyquist (Johnson) noise, but in contrast, it is not random; its direct component (i.e. zero‐frequency component) is non‐zero because of the discreteness of the permitted state spectrum of electrons in normal metal rings and Cooper pairs in superconductor rings. The persistent current observed in mesoscopic rings with non‐zero resistance is effectively directed Brownian motion, which cannot decay despite its non‐zero energy dissipation. This is due to the equilibration between the dissipative force with the change of angular momentum of electrons (or Cooper pairs), owing to the quantization condition on the wave function describing their states in the ring. The observations of electric potential difference on ring‐halves having persistent current raise the possibility of utilizing persistent currents for useful work, in conflict with the second law.
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Observations of Persistent Current at Non‐Zero Resistance: Challenge to the Second Law of Thermodynamics
Nikulov, Alexey
Follow AIP Conference Proceedings
, Volume 1411 (1)
American Institute of Physics – Dec 1, 2011
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