Physical Transformation AtlasPTA
Pathway · p-1901173e6d · extends a recorded pathway

Incident radiation flux → Mechanical work

Incident radiation fluxPhotothermal absorptionTemperature gradientThermomagnetic convectionFluid flowAerodynamic and hydrodynamic liftMechanical motionMechanical work

Epistemic state of the route

known constituent relations
7 / 7 established or replicated · weakest constituent established
constituent maturity floor
K4 · experimentally observed
search for this exact route
Not assessed — complete composition not searched.
recorded-pathway overlap
shares its closing relations with Thermomagnetic fluid engine · 5/7 relations shared
route-level evidence
0 sources for the complete composition · 7 cited by the constituent steps
boundaries and interfaces
BOUNDARY compatible · no region transition

Explorematrix context · physics checks · steps · route evidence · constituent evidence · cite

Matrix context

D = disequilibrium row · C = coupling family column. A cell reads the state of the atlas for that pair.

D.11 × C.20 · Incident radiation flux × Photothermalfamily: PhotothermalD.11 × C.06 · Incident radiation flux × Thermomagneticfamily: ThermomagneticD.11 × C.24 · Incident radiation flux × Turbomachineryfamily: Turbomachinery

Typed bounds on this route

Every limit the atlas holds for this route, as constraint records: reached through bounded_by claims on the route's own entities. Hard bounds (an upper bound or a formula) decide the thermodynamic-bound check above; benchmarks, constitutive relations and resource limits are listed and never decisive. No prose limit exists anywhere (pass 42).

  • Landsberg limit · formula-bound · hard, applies to this route
    η ≤ 1 − (4/3)(T_c/T_s) + (1/3)(T_c/T_s)⁴ for conversion of blackbody radiation at T_s with a sink at T_c; 93.3 % at 6000 K / 300 K
  • Carnot limit · formula-bound · hard, applies to this route
    η ≤ 1 − T_c/T_h for any heat engine between reservoirs at T_h and T_c
  • Betz limit · upper-bound · hard, filtered out by its applicability
    C_p ≤ 16/27 ≈ 59.3% of the kinetic power through the rotor disc

Steps

  1. 01
    radiative → thermal
    • an absorber with high solar absorptance; selective surfaces suppress re-emission
    illumination required
    refs [1] [2]
  2. 02
    thermal → thermal
    refs [1]
  3. 03
    thermal → kinetic · loss to thermal
    • a ferrofluid whose magnetisation decreases with temperature, in a non-uniform magnetic field aligned with the temperature gradient
    liquid · magnetic field required · temperature gradient required
    refs [3] [4]
  4. 04
    kinetic → kinetic
    The circulating flow carries a directed momentum flux that can load a blade: Zhou et al. 2009 drove a rotor with it (recorded as pathway:thermomagnetic-fluid-engine).
    refs [3] [5]
  5. 05
    kinetic → mechanical · loss to thermal
    • a rotor or vane in the produced stream at a working angle of attack; the driven flow must carry a directed momentum flux for a blade to load
    bulk flow required
    refs [6] [7]
  6. 06
    mechanical → mechanical
    refs [7]
  7. 07
    Mechanical motion —converts into→ Mechanical workestablishedclaim record
    mechanical → mechanical · loss to thermal
    refs [1]

Evidence for the complete composition · 0

No source on record for this exact composition. The sources below support the individual steps, not the route as a whole.

Evidence for the constituent relations · 7

  1. [1]
    A. Bejan. Advanced Engineering Thermodynamics (4th ed.) (2016)
    Wiley · doi:10.1002/9781119245964 · crossref ✓ 2026-09-19 · record
  2. [2]
    P. T. Landsberg, G. Tonge. Thermodynamic energy conversion efficiencies (1980)
    Journal of Applied Physics 51, R1–R20 · doi:10.1063/1.328187 · crossref ✓ 2026-09-19 · record
  3. [3]
    R. E. Rosensweig. Ferrohydrodynamics (1985)
    Cambridge University Press · book, no DOI · record
  4. [4]
    S. A. Suslov. Peculiarities of Convective Heat and Mass Transfer in Magnetic Nanofluids (2023)
    ASME Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 145(3), 030801 (online December 2022) · doi:10.1115/1.4055343 · crossref ✓ 2026-09-20 · record
  5. [5]
    L. Zhou et al.. A new miniaturized engine based on thermomagnetic effect of magnetic fluids (2009)
    Frontiers of Energy and Power Engineering in China 3, 160–166 · doi:10.1007/s11708-009-0018-9 · record
  6. [6]
    A. Betz. Das Maximum der theoretisch möglichen Ausnützung des Windes durch Windmotoren (1920)
    Zeitschrift für das gesamte Turbinenwesen 26, 307–309 · paper, no DOI · record
  7. [7]
    S. L. Dixon, C. A. Hall. Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Turbomachinery (7th ed.) (2014)
    Butterworth-Heinemann · doi:10.1016/C2011-0-05059-7 · crossref ✓ 2026-09-19 · record

Cite this route

Physical Transformation Atlas (2026). route p-1901173e6d: Incident radiation flux → Photothermal absorption → Temperature gradient → Thermomagnetic convection → Fluid flow → Aerodynamic and hydrodynamic lift → Mechanical motion → Mechanical work. Dataset revision rbfbfcbb70e57 (hash of the canonical data). https://physical-transformation-atlas.wldud5192.workers.dev/path/1901173e6d

Ids and matrix addresses are stable across revisions; the revision hash identifies the exact canonical files the record was compiled from and is meta.data_hash in every /api export. Reuse terms: see the license field in any export.