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Related papers: Reshaping the Quantum Arrow of Time

200 papers

We show that the Wheeler-DeWitt equation with a consistent boundary condition is only compatible with an arrow of time that formally reverses in a recollapsing universe. Consistency of these opposite arrows is facilitated by quantum effects…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2009-10-22 C. Kiefer , H. D. Zeh

Causality underpins all logical reasoning. However, the causal structure in quantum processes can be far from intuitive, often differing from its classical counterpart in relativity, which is defined by the light cone. In particular, in…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2026-01-21 Hong-Yi Wang , Haifeng Tang , Xiao-Liang Qi

The question of the origin of time's arrow is a major outstanding problem in physics. Here we present a mechanism for the emergence of a cosmological arrow of time from a confinement--deconfinement transition in a $ Z_2 $ lattice gauge…

General Physics · Physics 2026-05-19 Deepak Vaid

We introduce a self-adjoint operator that indicates the direction of time within the framework of standard quantum mechanics. That is, as a function of time its expectation value decreases monotonically for any initial state. This operator…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2008-02-19 Y. Strauss , J. Silman , S. Machnes , L. P. Horwitz

The arrow of time dilemma: the laws of physics are invariant for time inversion, whereas the familiar phenomena we see everyday are not (i.e. entropy increases). I show that, within a quantum mechanical framework, all phenomena which leave…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2010-04-22 Lorenzo Maccone

Quantum gravity, the initial low entropy state of the Universe, and the problem of time are interlocking puzzles. In this article, we address the origin of the arrow of time from a cosmological perspective motivated by a novel approach to…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2015-06-04 Vishnu Jejjala , Michael Kavic , Djordje Minic , Chia-Hsiung Tze

We expand the time reversal symmetry arguments of quantum mechanics, originally proposed by Wigner in the context of unitary dynamics, to contain situations including generalized measurements for monitored quantum systems. We propose a…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2020-09-04 Sreenath K. Manikandan , Andrew N. Jordan

Measurement-induced phase transitions (MIPTs) in monitored quantum systems are typically diagnosed using entanglement-based measures. Here, we develop a complementary thermodynamic perspective based on the arrow of time (AoT), which arises…

Statistical Mechanics · Physics 2026-04-23 Nitay Hurvitz , Alon Kochol , Victor Fleurov , Eran Sela

We demonstrate that in quantum many-body systems, local arrows of time can differ from the global time $t$ induced by Hamiltonian evolution. That is, within a quantum many-body system, the flow of time can be relative to each observer or by…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2025-11-14 Andrew G. Yates , Jordan Cotler , Nishad Maskara , Mikhail D. Lukin

The direct and indirect experimental proofs of a strong time invariance violation in optics are discussed. Time noninvariance for present day becomes the only real physical base for explanation the origin of the most phenomena in nonlinear…

General Physics · Physics 2007-05-23 Vladimir A. Kuz'menko

In this paper we address the problem of the arrow of time from a cosmological point of view, rejecting the traditional entropic approach that defines the future direction of time as the direction of the entropy increase: from our…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2009-11-07 Mario Castagnino , Luis Lara , Olimpia Lombardi

Microscopic quantum laws are time-symmetric: nothing in the Schr\"odinger equation or its relativistic extensions distinguishes future from past. Yet measurements produce irreversible records, an apparently one-way causal flow, and the…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2025-12-02 Alejandro Frank

Time-asymmetric spacetime structures, in particular those representing black holes and the expansion of the universe, are intimately related to other arrows of time, such as the second law and the retardation of radiation. The nature of the…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2017-11-22 H. D. Zeh

It is shown that the structures in the universe can be interpreted to show a closed wheel of time, rather than a straight arrow. An analysis in $f(R)$ gravity model has been carried out to show that due to local observations a small arc at…

General Physics · Physics 2018-01-26 Bal Krishna Yadav , Murli Manohar Verma

An unresolved problem in physics is how the thermodynamic arrow of time arises from an underlying time reversible dynamics. We contribute to this issue by developing a measure of time-symmetry breaking, and by using the work fluctuation…

Statistical Mechanics · Physics 2008-11-26 Edward H. Feng , Gavin E. Crooks

In several previous papers we have argued for a global and non-entropic approach to the problem of the arrow of time, according to which the ''arrow'' is only a metaphorical way of expressing the geometrical time-asymmetry of the universe.…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2008-11-26 Matias Aiello , Mario Castagnino , Olimpia Lombardi

The dynamics of an open quantum system can be described by a quantum operation, a linear, complete positive map of operators. Here, I exhibit a compact expression for the time reversal of a quantum operation, which is closely analogous to…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2008-04-03 Gavin E. Crooks

The arrow of time refers to the curious asymmetry that distinguishes the future from the past. Reversing the Arrow of Time argues that there is an intimate link between the symmetries of 'time itself' and time reversal symmetry in physical…

History and Philosophy of Physics · Physics 2022-12-08 Bryan W Roberts

Over the past several decades, a rich series of experiments has repeatedly verified the quantum nature of superconducting devices, leading some of these systems to be regarded as artificial atoms. In addition to their application in quantum…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2015-07-07 Frederico Brito , Francisco Rouxinol , M. D. LaHaye , Amir O. Caldeira

If one introduces causality into quantum cosmology, then the prescription for the no-boundary universe should be revised. We show that the thermodymanic arrow of time associated with the perturbation modes should be reversed at the maximum…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2007-05-23 Wu Zhong Chao