Experimental confirmation of breach of the basic postulate of Statistical Physics

TL;DR

This paper reports experimental evidence challenging the fundamental principle of equal probability of microstates in statistical physics, showing alternative stable macrostates with anisotropic radiation in non-ergodic systems.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental confirmation that the basic postulate of statistical physics can be violated in non-ergodic systems, revealing new stable macrostates beyond thermodynamic equilibrium.

Findings

Existence of stable anisotropic polarization states in thermal radiation.

Limits of applicability of the Principle of Equiprobability.

Experimental verification on real physical systems.

Abstract

In the course of computer modeling of the most probable stationary macrostates of non-ergodic closed systems, a forecast was obtained about the existence of limits of applicability of the basic axiomatic postulate of statistical physics, known as the Principle of Equiprobability of each realizable microstate. Moreover, for such systems, thermodynamic equilibrium is no longer the only permissible stationary state. The possibility of other most probable macrostates is predicted, which are characterized by the presence of a stable anisotropy of the polarization parameters of thermal radiation filling these systems. The article presents successful results of direct experimental verification of the above prognosis on a real physical installation. Important regularities inherent in the used mathematical model are noted.