Generalized Helmholtz theorem

The generalized Helmholtz theorem is the multi-dimensional generalization of the Helmholtz theorem which is valid only in one dimension. The generalized Helmholtz theorem reads as follows.

Let

${\displaystyle \mathbf {p} =(p_{1},p_{2},...,p_{s}),}$

${\displaystyle \mathbf {q} =(q_{1},q_{2},...,q_{s}),}$

be the canonical coordinates of a s-dimensional Hamiltonian system, and let

${\displaystyle H(\mathbf {p} ,\mathbf {q} ;V)=K(\mathbf {p} )+\varphi (\mathbf {q} ;V)}$

be the Hamiltonian function, where

${\displaystyle K=\sum _{i=1}^{s}{\frac {p_{i}^{2}}{2m}}}$,

is the kinetic energy and

${\displaystyle \varphi (\mathbf {q} ;V)}$

is the potential energy which depends on a parameter ${\displaystyle V}$. Let the hyper-surfaces of constant energy in the 2s-dimensional phase space of the system be metrically indecomposable and let ${\displaystyle \left\langle \cdot \right\rangle _{t}}$ denote time average. Define the quantities ${\displaystyle E}$, ${\displaystyle P}$, ${\displaystyle T}$, ${\displaystyle S}$, as follows:

${\displaystyle E=K+\varphi }$,

${\displaystyle T={\frac {2}{s}}\left\langle K\right\rangle _{t}}$,

${\displaystyle P=\left\langle -{\frac {\partial \varphi }{\partial V}}\right\rangle _{t}}$,

${\displaystyle S(E,V)=\log \int _{H(\mathbf {p} ,\mathbf {q} ;V)\leq E}d^{s}\mathbf {p} d^{s}\mathbf {q} .}$

Then:

${\displaystyle dS={\frac {dE+PdV}{T}}.}$

Remarks

The thesis of this theorem of classical mechanics reads exactly as the heat theorem of thermodynamics. This fact shows that thermodynamic-like relations exist between certain mechanical quantities in multidimensional ergodic systems. This in turn allows to define the "thermodynamic state" of a multi-dimensional ergodic mechanical system, without the requirement that the system be composed of a large number of degrees of freedom. In particular the temperature ${\displaystyle T}$ is given by twice the time average of the kinetic energy per degree of freedom, and the entropy ${\displaystyle S}$ by the logarithm of the phase space volume enclosed by the constant energy surface (i.e. the so-called volume entropy).

Further reading

• Helmholtz, H., von (1884a). Principien der Statik monocyklischer Systeme. Borchardt-Crelle’s Journal für die reine und angewandte Mathematik, 97, 111–140 (also in Wiedemann G. (Ed.) (1895) Wissenschafltliche Abhandlungen. Vol. 3 (pp. 142–162, 179–202). Leipzig: Johann Ambrosious Barth).
• Helmholtz, H., von (1884b). Studien zur Statik monocyklischer Systeme. Sitzungsberichte der Kö niglich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, I, 159–177 (also in Wiedemann G. (Ed.) (1895) Wissenschafltliche Abhandlungen. Vol. 3 (pp. 163–178). Leipzig: Johann Ambrosious Barth).
• Boltzmann, L. (1884). Über die Eigenschaften monocyklischer und anderer damit verwandter Systeme.Crelles Journal, 98: 68–94 (also in Boltzmann, L. (1909). Wissenschaftliche Abhandlungen (Vol. 3,pp. 122–152), F. Hasenöhrl (Ed.). Leipzig. Reissued New York: Chelsea, 1969).
• Khinchin, A. I. (1949). Mathematical foundations of statistical mechanics. New York: Dover.
• Gallavotti, G. (1999). Statistical mechanics: A short treatise. Berlin: Springer.
• Campisi, M. (2005) On the mechanical foundations of thermodynamics: The generalized Helmholtz theorem Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 36: 275–290