Isothermal vs Adiabatic Process
In an isothermal process the temperature is held constant. Heat flows freely between system and reservoir. For an ideal gas, internal energy U is constant, so Q = W = nRT ln(V2/V1).
In an adiabatic process no heat is exchanged (Q = 0). For an ideal gas the equation of state along the path is PVγ = const, with γ = CP/CV. Internal energy change equals the work done: ΔU = −W.
On a P–V diagram, isothermal curves PV = nRT are gentler than adiabatic curves PVγ = const through the same point. Adiabatic compression heats the gas; isothermal compression keeps T fixed by removing heat. The Carnot cycle alternates two isothermal legs and two adiabatic legs.
Recent research on this topic from arXiv
Preprints and papers indexed on arXiv.org. Links open the public abstract pages.
- Adiabatic processes like isothermal processes
Pierre Nazé · 2022 ·arXiv:2210.16116v3
The objective of this work is to show that adiabatic processes can be very similar to isothermal ones. First, we show that the criteria for the compatibility of linear-response theory with the Second Law of Thermodynamics for thermally isol... - Adiabatic Process and Chern Numbers
Jun Goryo, Mahito Kohmoto · 2006 ·arXiv:0606758v2
We study quantum processes with two or more adiabatic parameters. When the parameters are compactified, a derivative of the Hamiltonian gives a first Chern number, hence an integer. This topological formulation is applied to the AC Josephso... - Adaiabtic theorems and reversible isothermal processes
Walid K. Abou Salem, Juerg Froehlich · 2006 ·arXiv:0601045v1
Isothermal processes of a finitely extended, driven quantum system in contact with an infinite heat bath are studied from the point of view of quantum statistical mechanics. Notions like heat flux, work and entropy are defined for trajector... - Invariant Perturbation Theory of Adiabatic Process
Jian-Lan Chen, Mei-sheng Zhao, Jian-da Wu et al. · 2007 ·arXiv:0706.0299v3
In this paper we present an invariant perturbation theory to adiabatic process according to the concepts of adiabatic orbits, adiabatic evolution orbit and U(1)-invariant adiabatic orbit. The probabilities of keeping the adiabatic orbit in...
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