Generalized Principle of Maximum Entropy and Irreversible Processes

Abstract

We investigate another possibility of developing a statistical theory in extended irreversible thermodynamics (EIT). Generalizing the principle of maximum entropy, we derive the time evolution equations of the dissipative fluxes which are second order differential equations in a scaled time. These equations involve two categories, transport coefficients and relaxation times, both of which are expressed in terms of the equal-time correlations of fluctuations of physical quantities. The reciprocal relations between the transport coefficients are proved for a nonequilibrium system undergoing a transient process. It is an aim of the present paper to perform the still missing generalization of the response theory from a different angle.