Abstract
CHANDRASEKHAR has remarked1 that “the theory of density fluctuations as developed by Smoluchowski represents one of the most outstanding achievements in molecular physics”, and has an important bearing on the interpretation of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. In view of the great value of Chandrasekhar's review of this and other stochastic problems in physics and astronomy, it seems desirable to correct some somewhat subtle errors of principle in his discussion of Smoluchowski's theory2 of recurrence times, in case these have not previously been noticed.
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References
Chandrasekhar, S., Rev. Mod. Phys., 15, 1 (1943).
Smoluchowski, M. v., Wien. Ber., 124, 339 (1915).
Feller, W., Trans. Amer. Math. Soc., 67, 98 (1949).
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BARTLETT, M. Recurrence Times. Nature 165, 727–728 (1950). https://doi.org/10.1038/165727b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/165727b0
