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Dissipative Structures




A dissipative system (or '''''dissipative structure''''') is an Open System which is operating far from Thermodynamic Equilibrium within an environment that exchanges Energy , Matter or Entropy . A dissipative system is characterized by the spontaneous appearance of a complex, sometimes Chaotic , structure. The term ''dissipative structures'' was coined by Ilya Prigogine . It is also called Steady-state Open System and Nonequilibrium Open System .

A simple example is the Bénard Cells . More complex examples include Laser s, Belousov-Zhabotinsky Reaction , or even Life itself.

A formal, mathematical definition of a dissipative system as the action of a Group on a Measurable Set is given in the article on '' Wandering Set s''.


QUANTUM DISSIPATIVE SYSTEMS


As Quantum Mechanics relies heavily on Hamiltonian Mechanics , it is not intrinsically able to describe dissipative systems. In principle one can couple weakly the system, say an oscillator, to a bath, i.e., an assembly of many oscillators in thermal equilibrium with a broad band spectrum, and trace (average) over the bath. This yields a Master Equation which is a special case of a more general setting called the Lindblad Equation .


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