The law of entropy increase and the Meissner effect

TL;DR

This paper challenges the conventional understanding of the superconducting transition by linking the Meissner effect to a process that appears to violate the law of entropy increase, questioning the thermodynamic consistency of existing theories.

Contribution

It proposes that the superconducting transition and the Meissner effect suggest a reversible process contrary to traditional irreversible thermodynamics, highlighting an inconsistency in conventional superconductivity theory.

Findings

The Meissner effect may indicate a reversible process.

Conventional theory predicts Joule heat inconsistent with entropy law.

The transition challenges the universality of the entropy increase law.

Abstract

The law of entropy increase postulates the existence of irreversible processes in physics: the total entropy of an isolated system can increase but cannot decrease. The annihilation of an electric current in normal metal with the generation of Joule heat because of a non-zero resistance is well-known example of irreversible process. The persistent current, an undamped electric current observed in a superconductor, annihilates after the transition into the normal state. Therefore this transition was considered as irreversible thermodynamic process before 1933. But if this transition is irreversible then the Meissner effect discovered in 1933 is experimental evidence of a process reverse to the irreversible process. Belief in the law of entropy increase forced physicists to change their understanding of the superconducting transition, which is considered a phase transition after 1933. This change has resulted to the internal inconsistency of the conventional theory of superconductivity, which is created within the framework of reversible thermodynamics but predicts Joule heating. The persistent current annihilates after the transition into the normal state with the generation of Joule heat and reappears during the return to the superconducting state according to this theory and contrary to the law of entropy increase. The success of the conventional theory of superconductivity forces to consider the validity of belief in the law of entropy increase.