Related papers: Statistical Mechanics and Quantum Cosmology
Quantum mechanics is usually presented starting from a series of postulates about the mathematical framework. In this work we show that those same postulates can be derived by assuming that measurements are discrete interactions: that is,…
There is an increasing interest in the role of macroscopic environments to our understanding of the basics of quantum theory. The knowledge of the implications of the quantum theory to other theories, especially to the statistical mechanics…
This brief article gives an overview of quantum mechanics as a {\em quantum probability theory}. It begins with a review of the basic operator-algebraic elements that connect probability theory with quantum probability theory. Then quantum…
The measurement problem is the issue of explaining how the objective classical world emerges from a quantum one. Here we take a different approach. We assume that there is an objective classical system, and then ask that the standard rules…
The central idea of this work is the concept of prespace, a hypothetical structure that is postulated to underlie the fabric of space or space-time. I consider how such a structure could relate to space and space-time, and the implications…
In this paper we give a pedagogical introduction to the ideas of quantum thermodynamics and work fluctuations, using only basic concepts from quantum and statistical mechanics. After reviewing the concept of work, as usually taught in…
We discuss the appearance of time-asymmetric behavior in physical processes in cosmology and in the dynamics of the Universe itself. We begin with an analysis of the nature and origin of irreversibility in well-known physical processes such…
This paper discusses work developed in recent years, in the domain of quantum optics, which has led to a better understanding of the classical limit of quantum mechanics. New techniques have been proposed, and experimentally demonstrated,…
Ideas of Statistical Physics are very relevant for cosmic structures especially considering that the field is undergoing a period of exceptional development with many new data appearing on a monthly basis. In the past years we have focused…
We study dynamics of quantum open systems, paying special attention to those aspects of their evolution which are relevant to the transition from quantum to classical. We begin with a discussion of the conditional dynamics of simple…
The quantum statistical mechanics of an ideal gas with a general free-particle energy obeying fractional exclusion statistics are systematically investigated in arbitrary dimensions. The pressure relations, the relation between pressure and…
Understanding the far-from-equilibrium dynamics of dissipative quantum systems, where dissipation and decoherence coexist with unitary dynamics, is an enormous challenge with immense rewards. Often, the only realistic approach is to forgo a…
Interest in problems of statistical inference connected to measurements of quantum systems has recently increased substantially, in step with dramatic new developments in experimental techniques for studying small quantum systems.…
We study the connection between dissipation and reality in macroscopic quantum systems. We present the following scenario; if we consider the dynamics of a `partial' wave function, the dissipation is represented as a nonlocal term and it…
In quantum information theory, quantum discord has been proposed as a tool to characterise the presence of "quantum correlations" between the subparts of a given system. Whether a system behaves quantum-mechanically or classically is…
First-passage phenomena play a fundamental role in classical stochastic processes. We here exactly solve a quantum first-passage time problem for quantum diffusion driven by measurement noise, a generalization of classical Brownian motion.…
Mesoscopic systems -- small electric circuits working in quantum regime -- offer us a unique experimental stage to explorer quantum transport in a tunable and precise way. The purpose of this Review is to show how they can contribute to…
Quantum mechanics, the fundamental theory that governs the behaviour of matter and energy at microscopic scales, forms the foundation of quantum computing and quantum information science. As quantum technologies progress, software engineers…
It is proposed to define "quantumness" of a system (micro or macroscopic, physical, biological, social, political) by starting with understanding that quantum mechanics is a statistical theory. It says us only about probability…
Although not as wide, and popular, as that of quantum mechanics, the investigation of fundamental aspects of statistical mechanics constitutes an important research field in the building of modern physics. Besides the interest for itself,…