The Thermodynamic Arrow-of-time and Quantum Mechanics
I give an explanation of the thermodynamic arrow-of-time (namely entropy increases with time) within a quantum mechanical framework. This entails giving a solution to the Loschmidt paradox, i.e. showing how an irreversible macro-dynamics can arise from a reversible micro-dynamics. I argue that, in a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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Elsevier B.V.
2014
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/92300 |
| _version_ | 1811076221262364672 |
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| author | Maccone, Lorenzo |
| author2 | W. M. Keck Foundation Center for Extreme Quantum Information Theory |
| author_facet | W. M. Keck Foundation Center for Extreme Quantum Information Theory Maccone, Lorenzo |
| author_sort | Maccone, Lorenzo |
| collection | MIT |
| description | I give an explanation of the thermodynamic arrow-of-time (namely entropy increases with time) within a quantum mechanical framework. This entails giving a solution to the Loschmidt paradox, i.e. showing how an irreversible macro-dynamics can arise from a reversible micro-dynamics. I argue that, in accordance to the reversible dynamics, both entropy-increasing and entropy-decreasing transformations take place, but entropy-decreasing transformations cannot leave any information of their having happened. This is indistinguishable from their not having happened at all. The second law of thermodynamics is then reduced to a tautology: the only transformations that can be seen are those where entropy does not decrease. However, typicality arguments seem to prevent this argument to be used as a complete solution to the arrow-of-time dilemma: it might still be necessary to postulate a low entropy initial state for the system under consideration. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T10:18:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/92300 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T10:18:12Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publisher | Elsevier B.V. |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/923002022-09-26T17:04:50Z The Thermodynamic Arrow-of-time and Quantum Mechanics Maccone, Lorenzo W. M. Keck Foundation Center for Extreme Quantum Information Theory Maccone, Lorenzo I give an explanation of the thermodynamic arrow-of-time (namely entropy increases with time) within a quantum mechanical framework. This entails giving a solution to the Loschmidt paradox, i.e. showing how an irreversible macro-dynamics can arise from a reversible micro-dynamics. I argue that, in accordance to the reversible dynamics, both entropy-increasing and entropy-decreasing transformations take place, but entropy-decreasing transformations cannot leave any information of their having happened. This is indistinguishable from their not having happened at all. The second law of thermodynamics is then reduced to a tautology: the only transformations that can be seen are those where entropy does not decrease. However, typicality arguments seem to prevent this argument to be used as a complete solution to the arrow-of-time dilemma: it might still be necessary to postulate a low entropy initial state for the system under consideration. 2014-12-12T19:44:22Z 2014-12-12T19:44:22Z 2011-02 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 15710661 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/92300 Maccone, Lorenzo. “The Thermodynamic Arrow-of-Time and Quantum Mechanics.” Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science 270, no. 1 (February 2011): 75–79. en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.entcs.2011.01.007 Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science Creative Commons Attribution http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ application/pdf Elsevier B.V. Elsevier |
| spellingShingle | Maccone, Lorenzo The Thermodynamic Arrow-of-time and Quantum Mechanics |
| title | The Thermodynamic Arrow-of-time and Quantum Mechanics |
| title_full | The Thermodynamic Arrow-of-time and Quantum Mechanics |
| title_fullStr | The Thermodynamic Arrow-of-time and Quantum Mechanics |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Thermodynamic Arrow-of-time and Quantum Mechanics |
| title_short | The Thermodynamic Arrow-of-time and Quantum Mechanics |
| title_sort | thermodynamic arrow of time and quantum mechanics |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/92300 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT macconelorenzo thethermodynamicarrowoftimeandquantummechanics AT macconelorenzo thermodynamicarrowoftimeandquantummechanics |