The microcanonical thermodynamics of finite systems: The microscopic origin of condensation and phase separations, and the conditions for heat flow from lower to higher temperatures

Microcanonical thermodynamics [D. H. E. Gross, Microcanonical Thermodynamics, Phase Transitions in “Small” Systems (World Scientific, Singapore, 2001)] allows the application of statistical mechanics both to finite and even small systems and also to the largest, self-gravitating ones. However, one must reconsider the fundamental principles of statistical mechanics especially its key quantity, entropy. Whereas in conventional thermostatistics, the homogeneity and extensivity of the system and the concavity of its entropy are central conditions, these fail for the systems considered here. For example, at phase separation, the entropy S(E) is necessarily convex to make eS(E)−E∕T bimodal in E. Particularly, as inhomogeneities and surface effects cannot be scaled away, one must be careful with the standard arguments of splitting a system into two subsystems, or bringing two systems into thermal contact with energy or particle exchange. Not only the volume part of the entropy must be considered; the addition of...