Mass and Thermodiffusion in Non-equilibrium Fluctuating Hydrodynamics

Abstract

Mass and thermodiffusion are transport phenomena in fluid mixtures important in many applications. In this paper it is argued that these transport phenomena have even become more interesting in view of some surprising discoveries from fluctuating hydrodynamics leading to possible new emerging issues in non-equilibrium thermodynamics. A short review of the history of this subject is presented. The paper then addresses the problem that the conventional mass and thermodiffusion coefficients depend on the frame of reference. A simple solution to this problem is elucidated.