Equilibrium under flow Original Research Article

Using information theory we derive a thermodynamics for systems evolving under a collective flow, i.e. under a time-odd constraint. An illustration within the Lattice gas Model is given for two model cases: a collision between two complex particles leading to an incomplete relaxation of the incoming momentum, and a self-similar expansion. A connection with the determination of thermodynamical quantities in multifragmentation reactions is done showing that they are affected in a sizeable way only when the flow dominates the global energetics.