George Ruppeiner
Professor of Physics
Professor of Physics
Ph.D., Duke University
B.S., Louisiana State University
Go to Dr. Ruppeiner's personal homepage.
Professor Ruppeiner’s research has focused on using curved space geometry to represent physical situations in which many atoms cooperate to produce a few independent average properties, i.e., thermodynamics. Although the laws of thermodynamics make no reference to atoms, thermodynamics nevertheless yields information about microscopic properties. The curved space geometry is very revealing in this connection.
Most recently, Professor Ruppeiner has applied these ideas to black holes, where the thermodynamics is well-known (due to Stephen Hawking and others), but the properties of the “atoms” is unknown. Professor Ruppeiner has also published in the areas of the large-scale arrangement of galaxies, computer approaches to "intractable" problems, and using electric currents to probe the Earth.
Recent Courses
Descriptive Astronomy
Modern Physics
Statistical Mechanics
Selected Publications
"Thermodynamic curvature measures interactions," George Ruppeiner, to be published in American Journal of Physics (2010).
Ruppeiner, G. (2008). “Thermodynamic curvature and phase transitions in Kerr-Newman black holes," Physical Review D 78, 024016.
Ruppeiner, G. (2007). “Stability and fluctuations in black hole thermodynamics,” Physical Review D 75, 024037.
Ruppeiner, G. (2007). "Black Holes: fermions at the extremal limit?" arXiv:0711.4328 [gr-qc].
Ruppeiner, G. (2005). “Riemannian geometry of thermodynamics and systems with repulsive power-law interactions,” Physical Review E 72, 016120.
Measuring the Electrical Conductivity of the Earth, B. Avants*, Dustin Soodak*, and George Ruppeiner, American Journal of Physics 67, 593 (1999).
Riemannian Geometric Approach to Critical Points: General Theory, G. Ruppeiner, Phys. Rev. E 57, 5135-4145 (1998)
Edited "Directory of Research in Physics/Astronomy at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions," Fourth Editon, Pulished by Council on Undergraduate Research, 1997.
"Equation of State of Large Gravitationg Gas Clouds," G. Ruppeiner, The Astrophysical Journal, 464, 547 (1996).
"Test of the Biot-Savart law to distances of fifteen meters, G. Ruppeiner, M. Grossman*, and A. Tafti*, American Journal of Physics, 64, 698 (1996).
"Riemannian Geometry of Thermodynamics and Critical Phenomena", G. Ruppeiner, Atti Accademia Peloritana Del Pericolanti, Supplemento No. 1, LXX, 101-133.
"Antisymmetric Free Energy from Riemannian Geometry", G. Ruppeiner, Phys. Rev. E47,,934-938 (1993)
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