Related papers: A Theory for the Time Arrow
Regardless of studies and debates over a century, the statistical origin of the second law of thermodynamics still remains illusive. One essential obstacle is the lack of a proper theoretical formalism for non-equilibrium entropy. Here I…
We present a partition of quantum observables in an open quantum system which is inherited from the division of the underlying Hilbert space or configuration space. It is shown that this partition leads to the definition of an inhomogeneous…
Most states in the Hilbert space are maximally entangled. This fact has proven useful to investigate - among other things - the foundations of statistical mechanics. Unfortunately, most states in the Hilbert space of a quantum many body…
Entropic arguments are shown to play a central role in the foundations of quantum theory. We prove that probabilities are given by the modulus squared of wave functions, and that the time evolution of states is linear and also unitary.
The "problem of time" in canonical quantum gravity refers to the difficulties involved in defining a Hilbert space structure on states -- and local observables on this Hilbert space -- for a theory in which the spacetime metric is treated…
Despite its enormous empirical success, the formalism of quantum theory still raises fundamental questions: why is nature described in terms of complex Hilbert spaces, and what modifications of it could we reasonably expect to find in some…
Quantum timeless approaches solve the problem of time by recovering the usual unitary evolution of quantum theory relative to a clock in a stationary quantum Universe. For some Hamiltonians of the Universe, such as those including an…
In quantum statistical mechanics, it is of fundamental interest to understand how close the bipartite entanglement entropy of eigenstates of quantum chaotic Hamiltonians is to maximal. For random pure states in the Hilbert space, the…
While the microscopic laws of physics are often symmetric under time reversal, most natural processes that we observe are not. The emergent asymmetry between typical and time-reversed processes is referred to as the arrow of time. In…
We numerically analyze the dynamical generation of quantum entanglement in a system of 2 interacting particles, started in a coherent separable state, for decreasing values of $\hbar$. As $\hbar\to 0$ the entanglement entropy, computed at…
The second law of thermodynamics states that the entropy of an isolated system can only increase over time. This appears to conflict with the reversible evolution of isolated quantum systems under the Schr\"odinger equation, which preserves…
The H-theorem is an extension of the Second Law to a time-sequence of states that need not be equilibrium ones. In this paper we review and we rigorously establish the connection with macroscopic autonomy. If for a Hamiltonian dynamics for…
The nodes are traditionally viewed as fixed points where the probability density vanishes. However, this work demonstrates that these nodes exhibit time-dependent oscillation in quantum superposition states. We derive this effect for a…
Randomness generation through quantum-chaotic evolution underpins foundational questions in statistical mechanics and applications across quantum information science, including benchmarking, tomography, metrology, and demonstrations of…
Two related problems in relativistic quantum mechanics, the apparent superluminal propagation of initially localized particles and dependence of spatial localization on the motion of the observer, are analyzed in the context of Dirac's…
We formulate the transition from decelerated to accelerated expansion as a bounce in connection space and study its quantum cosmology, knowing that reflections are notorious for bringing quantum effects to the fore. We use a formalism for…
Hamiltonian mechanics describes the evolution of a system through its Hamiltonian. The Hamiltonian typically also represents the energy observable, a Noether-conserved quantity associated with the time-invariance of the law of evolution. In…
All of the basic microsopic physical laws are time reversible. In contrast, the second law of thermodynamics, which is a macroscopic physical representation of the world, is able to describe irreversible processes in an isolated system…
We discuss how the classical notions of time and causal structure may emerge together with quantum-mechanical probabilities from a universal quantum state. For this, the process of decoherence between semiclassical branches is important.…
Entropy is the distinguishing and most important concept of our efforts to understand and regularize our observations of a very large class of natural phenomena, and yet, it is one of the most contentious concepts of physics. In this…