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After More Than a Century, New Demonstration Proposes to Reconnect the Nernst Theorem to the Second Law and Questions the Separation Made by Einstein
For more than a century, Albert Einstein’s explanation of absolute zero remained a reference in physics. Now, a Spanish professor claims to have proven that Einstein was wrong. José María Martín-Olalla, from the University of Seville, presented a new demonstration that rescues Nernst’s original theorem and reconnects the third law of thermodynamics to the second.
The Absolute Zero Problem
At the beginning of the 20th century, physicists were trying to understand the behavior of matter at temperatures close to absolute zero (-273.15 °C). In 1905, Walther Nernst observed that as the temperature approaches this point, the entropy exchanges between systems tend to zero.
Seven years later, in 1912, he presented a mathematical proof and argued that absolute zero was unattainable. His justification was simple: if it were possible to reach this temperature, it would be feasible to build a motor capable of converting all heat into work, violating the principle of increasing entropy. For this work, Nernst received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1920.
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Einstein Disagrees: “This Engine Cannot Exist”
Albert Einstein rejected this idea. The physicist argued that the engine described by Nernst could not be practically built and therefore could not be used as a basis to prove or refute a principle of physics.
With that, he separated Nernst’s theorem from the second law of thermodynamics and associated it with the third, making it an independent law. This view remained for more than a century.
New Proof Links Everything Back to the Second Law
Now, Professor Olalla retraces the path. In his new demonstration, he asserts that Nernst’s theorem is indeed a direct consequence of the second law of thermodynamics. This means that the third law would no longer be a separate rule, but merely a continuation of the second.
“With this proof, the second law of thermodynamics expands its applicability, and the third postulate of thermodynamics is reduced to the fact that the entropy of a chemically homogeneous body with finite density must not be negative,” wrote the professor.
Imaginary Engine, but Virtual
Olalla introduces two new points to the discussion. The first is that the engine described by Nernst needs to exist as a concept, even if it is only imaginary.
The second is that this machine should be treated as virtual—it does not consume heat, does not produce work, and does not threaten the principles of thermodynamics.
These two ideas allow us to assert that yes, entropy tends to zero as temperature tends to zero. And yes, absolute zero is unattainable.
Sensation is Not Temperature
The professor also highlights the historical confusion between the sensation of cold and the physical concept of temperature. For him, temperature as a physical quantity needs an abstract and formal definition. The new approach proposes exactly that, based on the second law of thermodynamics and the virtual engine.
The Exception: Specific Heats
The only property of matter near absolute zero that does not fully fit into the new proof is the cancellation of heat capacities, another point raised by Nernst in 1912.
Even so, Olalla offers a solution:
“The second principle contains the idea that entropy is unique at absolute zero. The cancellation of specific heats only adds that this unique value is zero.”
Publication and Acceptance
The demonstration has already been published. Olalla knows it will still take time for the scientific community to accept the new viewpoint. “But I know that the academic world has a lot of inertia,” he said.
With information from Inovação Tecnológica.
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