English

Gravitational Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology 2016-03-08 v1

Abstract

The spontaneous violation of Lorentz and diffeomorphism invariance in a phase near the big bang lowers the entropy, allowing for an arrow of time and the second law of thermodynamics. The spontaneous symmetry breaking leads to O(3,1)O(3)×RO(3,1)\rightarrow O(3)\times R, where O(3)O(3) is the rotational symmetry of the Friedmann-Lema\^{i}tre-Robertson-Walker spacetime. The Weyl curvature tensor CμνρσC_{\mu\nu\rho\sigma} vanishes in the FLRW spacetime satisfying the Penrose zero Weyl curvature conjecture. The requirement of a measure of gravitational entropy is discussed. The vacuum expectation value 0ψμ00\langle 0\vert\psi_\mu\vert 0\rangle\neq 0 for a vector field ψμ\psi_\mu acts as an order parameter and at the critical temperature TcT_c a phase transition occurs breaking the Lorentz symmetry spontaneously. During the ordered O(3)O(3) symmetry phase the entropy is vanishingly small and for T<TcT < T_c as the universe expands the anti-restored O(3,1)O(3,1) Lorentz symmetry leads to a disordered phase and a large increase in entropy creating the arrow of time.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1407.1026,
  title  = {Gravitational Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics},
  author = {J. W. Moffat},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1407.1026},
  year   = {2016}
}

Comments

4 pages, no figures