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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.22133 |
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| _version_ | 1866917232951427072 |
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| author | Chua, Eugene Y. S. |
| author_facet | Chua, Eugene Y. S. |
| contents | Much of the century-old debate surrounding the status of thermodynamics in relativity has centered on the search for a suitably relativistic temperature; recent works by Chua (2023) and Chua and Callender (forthcoming) have suggested that the classical temperature concept -- consilient as it is in classical settings -- 'falls apart' in relativity. However, these discussions typically assume an unproblematic Lorentz transformation for -- specifically, the Lorentz invariance of -- the pressure concept. Here I argue that, just like the classical temperature, the classical concept of pressure breaks down in relativistic settings. I discuss how this might suggest a new thermodynamic limit -- a u --> 0 limit -- without which an unambiguous thermodynamic description of systems doesn't emerge. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_22133 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Putting Pressure Under Pressure: On the Status of Classical Pressure in Special Relativity Chua, Eugene Y. S. History and Philosophy of Physics Much of the century-old debate surrounding the status of thermodynamics in relativity has centered on the search for a suitably relativistic temperature; recent works by Chua (2023) and Chua and Callender (forthcoming) have suggested that the classical temperature concept -- consilient as it is in classical settings -- 'falls apart' in relativity. However, these discussions typically assume an unproblematic Lorentz transformation for -- specifically, the Lorentz invariance of -- the pressure concept. Here I argue that, just like the classical temperature, the classical concept of pressure breaks down in relativistic settings. I discuss how this might suggest a new thermodynamic limit -- a u --> 0 limit -- without which an unambiguous thermodynamic description of systems doesn't emerge. |
| title | Putting Pressure Under Pressure: On the Status of Classical Pressure in Special Relativity |
| topic | History and Philosophy of Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.22133 |