https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-025-01931-2
Regular Article
On the ellipsoid paradox in thermodynamics
1
Texas A&M University, 77843, College Station, TX, USA
2
Princeton University, 08544, Princeton, NJ, USA
3
Baylor University, 76798, Waco, TX, USA
4
University of British Columbia, V6T 1Z1, Vancouver, Canada
a
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Received:
31
March
2025
Accepted:
5
September
2025
Published online:
19
September
2025
Abstract
The ellipsoid paradox in thermodynamics suggested by Fallows (New Sci 5:1156, 1959) was resolved by Boley and Scully who emphasized the importance of stimulated emission. The problem has been revisited many times, e.g. by Mutalik in a 2010 article in the “New York Times”. Unfortunately the revisitations assumed finite size of the black bodies and missed the stimulated emission issue as well as modification of the density of states near focal points. We therefore revisit the ellipsoid paradox problem yet again emphasizing that making size of the objects finite is the way to avoid the paradox rather than to resolve it.
© The Author(s) 2025
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