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A Physical Basis for the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Quantum Nonunitarity

Kastner, Ruth (2016) A Physical Basis for the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Quantum Nonunitarity. [Preprint]

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Abstract

It is argued that if the non-unitary measurement transition, as codified by Von Neumann, is a real physical process, then the ‘probability assumption’ needed to derive the Second Law of Thermodynamics naturally enters at that point. The existence of a real, indeterministic physical process underlying the measurement transition would therefore provide an ontological basis for Boltzmann’s Stosszahlansatz and thereby explain the unidirectional increase of entropy against a backdrop of otherwise time-reversible laws. It is noted that the Transactional Interpretation (TI) of quantum mechanics provides such a physical account of the non-unitary measurement transition, and TI is brought to bear in finding a physically complete, non-ad hoc grounding for the Second Law.


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Item Type: Preprint
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Kastner, Ruthrkastner@umd.edu
Keywords: Second Law of Thermodynamics; irreversibility; entropy; H-Theorem; transactional interpretation; wave function collapse.
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics
Depositing User: Ruth E. Kastner
Date Deposited: 27 Dec 2016 17:09
Last Modified: 27 Dec 2016 17:09
Item ID: 12718
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics
Date: 25 December 2016
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/12718

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