Thermodynamics
“Thermodynamics is the basis of our energy-based society,” says Klaas, placing thermodynamics in a historical context. “Thermodynamics has its origins around the year 1800. The steam engine had just been invented in England and this was the starting signal of the industrial revolution. The physicists of that time were fascinated by the problem of how to make such a machine more efficient.” The power of science lay in its practical applicability. Consider the development of steamships that could sail from England to the United States in one go.
“The development of the steam engine was a crucial step for theoretical physics. The concept of 'energy' was, as it were, discovered during this period and has gained enormous wings. The Industrial Revolution was a defining period for physics – the impetus for understanding devices – in a way not seen since.” Here Klaas focuses on the modern world and the problems that we must confront: the energy transition and the climate crisis.
During the conversation, Klaas becomes increasingly enthusiastic about his lecture. The historical interaction between science and industry and the dilemmas that each next step implies fascinate him. He becomes passionate about the interaction between industry and science. A connection that formed the perfect foundation for physics at the beginning of the 19th century.
One theory
Klaas ended up in thermodynamics in a roundabout way. He is surprised that the story that starts with the steam engine and ends with black holes is one theory and has never been told that way before. Klaas was originally not interested in thermodynamics. Or as he puts it himself: “I didn't understand it.” His interest lay in black holes. “The Strangest Objects Ever Discovered and Described.” In Cambridge, Klaas worked in the environment of Stephen Hawking and his interest in black holes was awakened. One of Hawking's greatest discoveries was that black holes evaporate and have a temperature. Because black holes have radiation, they lose energy very slowly. The theoretical model describing this process is consistent with thermodynamics developed after the Industrial Revolution. “From the steam engine to black holes is one theory,” Klaas summarizes his inspiring story.
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