Summary
The conditions for thermostatic equilibrium for large systems, both conservative and nonconservative, are examined. It is found, in general, that nonconservative systems cannot attain equilibrium. In certain cases where velocity-dependent forces exist (e.g., for charged particles in an electromagnetic field) equilibrium may be attained. In such cases, the density in phase space is shown to be canonical.
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References
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Beghian, L.E. Thermostatic equilibrium in the classical limit. Nuov Cim B 107, 1437–1444 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02722854
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02722854