In statistical thermodynamics, thermodynamic beta, also known as coldness, is the reciprocal of the thermodynamic temperature of a system:

$${\displaystyle \beta ={\frac {1}{k_{\rm {B))T))}$$

It was originally introduced in 1971 (as Kältefunktion "coldness function") by Ingo Müller [de], one of the proponents of the rational thermodynamics school of thought,^[2][3] based on earlier proposals for a "reciprocal temperature" function.^[4][5]

Thermodynamic beta has units reciprocal to that of energy (in SI units, reciprocal joules, ${\displaystyle [\beta ]={\textrm {J))^{-1))$). In non-thermal units, it can also be measured in byte per joule, or more conveniently, gigabyte per nanojoule;^[6] 1 K⁻¹ is equivalent to about 13,062 gigabytes per nanojoule; at room temperature: T = 300K, β ≈ 44 GB/nJ ≈ 39 eV⁻¹ ≈ 2.4×10²⁰ J⁻¹. The conversion factor is 1 GB/nJ = ${\displaystyle 8\ln 2\times 10^{18))$ J⁻¹.

Description

Thermodynamic beta is essentially the connection between the information theory and statistical mechanics interpretation of a physical system through its entropy and the thermodynamics associated with its energy. It expresses the response of entropy to an increase in energy. If a system is challenged with a small amount of energy, then β describes the amount the system will randomize.

Via the statistical definition of temperature as a function of entropy, the coldness function can be calculated in the microcanonical ensemble from the formula

${\displaystyle \beta ={\frac {1}{k_{\rm {B))T))\,={\frac {1}{k_{\rm {B))))\left({\frac {\partial S}{\partial E))\right)_{V,N))$

(i.e., the partial derivative of the entropy S with respect to the energy E at constant volume V and particle number N).

Advantages

Though completely equivalent in conceptual content to temperature, β is generally considered a more fundamental quantity than temperature owing to the phenomenon of negative temperature, in which β is continuous as it crosses zero whereas T has a singularity.^[7]

In addition, β has the advantage of being easier to understand causally: If a small amount of heat is added to a system, β is the increase in entropy divided by the increase in heat. Temperature is difficult to interpret in the same sense, as it is not possible to "Add entropy" to a system except indirectly, by modifying other quantities such as temperature, volume, or number of particles.

Statistical interpretation

From the statistical point of view, β is a numerical quantity relating two macroscopic systems in equilibrium. The exact formulation is as follows. Consider two systems, 1 and 2, in thermal contact, with respective energies E₁ and E₂. We assume E₁ + E₂ = some constant E. The number of microstates of each system will be denoted by Ω₁ and Ω₂. Under our assumptions Ω_i depends only on E_i. We also assume that any microstate of system 1 consistent with E₁ can coexist with any microstate of system 2 consistent with E₂. Thus, the number of microstates for the combined system is

${\displaystyle \Omega =\Omega _{1}(E_{1})\Omega _{2}(E_{2})=\Omega _{1}(E_{1})\Omega _{2}(E-E_{1}).\,}$

We will derive β from the fundamental assumption of statistical mechanics:

When the combined system reaches equilibrium, the number Ω is maximized.

(In other words, the system naturally seeks the maximum number of microstates.) Therefore, at equilibrium,

${\displaystyle {\frac {d}{dE_{1))}\Omega =\Omega _{2}(E_{2}){\frac {d}{dE_{1))}\Omega _{1}(E_{1})+\Omega _{1}(E_{1}){\frac {d}{dE_{2))}\Omega _{2}(E_{2})\cdot {\frac {dE_{2)){dE_{1))}=0.}$

But E₁ + E₂ = E implies

${\displaystyle {\frac {dE_{2)){dE_{1))}=-1.}$

So

${\displaystyle \Omega _{2}(E_{2}){\frac {d}{dE_{1))}\Omega _{1}(E_{1})-\Omega _{1}(E_{1}){\frac {d}{dE_{2))}\Omega _{2}(E_{2})=0}$

i.e.

${\displaystyle {\frac {d}{dE_{1))}\ln \Omega _{1}={\frac {d}{dE_{2))}\ln \Omega _{2}\quad {\mbox{at equilibrium.))}$

The above relation motivates a definition of β:

${\displaystyle \beta ={\frac {d\ln \Omega }{dE)).}$

Connection of statistical view with thermodynamic view

When two systems are in equilibrium, they have the same thermodynamic temperature T. Thus intuitively, one would expect β (as defined via microstates) to be related to T in some way. This link is provided by Boltzmann's fundamental assumption written as

${\displaystyle S=k_{\rm {B))\ln \Omega ,}$

where k_B is the Boltzmann constant, S is the classical thermodynamic entropy, and Ω is the number of microstates. So

${\displaystyle d\ln \Omega ={\frac {1}{k_{\rm {B))))dS.}$

Substituting into the definition of β from the statistical definition above gives

${\displaystyle \beta ={\frac {1}{k_{\rm {B)))){\frac {dS}{dE)).}$

Comparing with thermodynamic formula

${\displaystyle {\frac {dS}{dE))={\frac {1}{T)),}$

we have

${\displaystyle \beta ={\frac {1}{k_{\rm {B))T))={\frac {1}{\tau ))}$

where ${\displaystyle \tau }$ is called the fundamental temperature of the system, and has units of energy.