Thermodynamical laws and spacetime geometry (Q2487267)

The authors study conditions imposed on spacetime geometry by linear and extended thermodynamics. They examine the resulting structure of shear-free spaces with divergence-free Weyl tensor, obtaining that the kinematical and dynamical properties of spacetime are strongly restricted. Extended thermodynamics leads to a more restricted spacetime structure than linear thermodynamics. In all cases the thermodynamical considerations show the privileged role of the equation \(p=-\rho\), which can be interpreted as a cosmological constant. It appears that within thermodynamical considerations, the cosmological term is natural for almost all spacetime configurations, independently of the assumed thermodynamical theory.