Fourier's Law: a Challenge for Theorists

Abstract

We present a selective overview of the current state of our knowledge (more precisely of ourignorance) regarding the derivation of Fourier's Law, ${\bf J}(\br) =-\kappa {\bf \nabla}T(\br)$; ${\bf J}$ the heat flux, $T$ the temperature and $\kappa$, the heat conductivity. This law is empirically well tested for both fluids and crystals, when the temperature varies slowly on the microscopic scale, with $\kappa$ an intrinsic property which depends only on the system's equilibrium parameters, such as the local temperature and density. There is however at present no rigorous mathematical derivation of Fourier's law and ipso facto of Kubo's formula for $\kappa$, involving integrals over equilibrium time correlations, for any system (or model) with a deterministic, e.g. Hamiltonian, microscopic evolution.