Arango-Restrepo, A.; Rubi, J.M. Thermodynamic Insights into Symmetry Breaking: Exploring Energy Dissipation across Diverse Scales. Entropy2024, 26, 231.
Arango-Restrepo, A.; Rubi, J.M. Thermodynamic Insights into Symmetry Breaking: Exploring Energy Dissipation across Diverse Scales. Entropy 2024, 26, 231.
Arango-Restrepo, A.; Rubi, J.M. Thermodynamic Insights into Symmetry Breaking: Exploring Energy Dissipation across Diverse Scales. Entropy2024, 26, 231.
Arango-Restrepo, A.; Rubi, J.M. Thermodynamic Insights into Symmetry Breaking: Exploring Energy Dissipation across Diverse Scales. Entropy 2024, 26, 231.
Abstract
Symmetry-breaking is a phenomenon that is observed in various contexts, from the early universe to complex organisms, and is considered a key puzzle in understanding the emergence of life. The presence of enantiomeric amino acids and proteins highlights its critical role. However, the origin of symmetry-breaking has yet to be comprehensively explained, particularly from an energetic standpoint. This article explores a novel approach by considering energy dissipation, specifically lost free energy, as a crucial factor in elucidating symmetry-breaking. Through a thorough thermodynamic analysis applicable to enantiomeric systems at various scales, from elementary particles to aggregated matter like crystals, we present experimental findings that establish a direct correlation between non-equilibrium free energy and energy dissipation during formation processes. Results emphasize the pivotal role of energy dissipation not only as an outcome but as the trigger for symmetry-breaking. This insight suggests that understanding the origins of complex systems, from cells to living beings and the universe itself, requires a lens focused on non-equilibrium processes, ultimately facilitating the formation of non-racemic systems.
Keywords
Energy Dissipation; Entropy production; Matter aggregation; Mesostructures; Self-assembly; Self-organization; Symmetry-breaking
Subject
Physical Sciences, Thermodynamics
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
