Abstract.
The path of a transformation is defined and discussed in the framework of classical thermodynamics. The Ehrenfest's approach to the theory of higher order transition is generalized to heterogeneous systems of r components in the presence and in the absence of electromagnetic fields. By introducing a state label the phase transitions, in proximity of singular points, are analysed in terms of the stability theory. Systems, in the presence and in the absence of a magnetic field are discussed in some detail. It is shown that the Ehrenfest approximation about the transition of 2nd order is physically unstable.
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Ambrosone, L., Fontana, F. Generalized Ehrenfest's approach to phase transitions in multicomponent systems in the presence of an electromagnetic field. Eur. Phys. J. B 48, 537–545 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2006-00005-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2006-00005-5