On the relationships between thermodynamic formalisms for complex fluids (Q1127737)

In recent years, several seemingly distinct approaches have been developed which aim to describe the mechanics and thermodynamics of complex fluids under dynamical conditions. Two of these approaches are the matrix model of thermodynamically driven systems and the GENERIC formalism. Here we examine the interrelationships between these two alternate approaches on an abstract level and work out direct connections for two specific examples of thermodynamically driven systems: a gas housed in a cylinder closed by a piston and subject to external force and potential fields, and a dilute solution of Hookean dumbbells in a flow field.