Kastner, Ruth
(2016)
A Physical Basis for the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Quantum Nonunitarity.
[Preprint]
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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A Physical Basis for the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Quantum Nonunitarity. (deposited 27 Dec 2016 17:09)
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