title: Thermodynamic properties of a Kerr nonlinear blackbody.
abstract: Within the framework of quantum field theory, we present the superfluid state of photons in a blackbody whose interior is filled by a Kerr nonlinear crystal. The thermodynamic properties of a Kerr nonlinear blackbody are investigated. At the transition temperature, the Gibbs free energy of the two phases is continuous but the entropy density of the two phases is discontinuous. Hence, there is a jump in the entropy density and this leads to a latent heat density. The photon system undergoes a first-order phase transition from the normal to the superfluid state. The transition temperature is characteristic of a concrete crystal. The entropy density and specific heat capacity are monotonically increasing functions of the temperature but are monotonically decreasing functions of the Kerr nonlinear coefficient.
authors.affiliation: School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, People's Republic of China. zcheng@mail.hust.edu.cn
authors.forename: Ze
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D015233:Models, Statistical; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D013816:Thermodynamics