SMuK 2021 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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AGPhil: Arbeitsgruppe Philosophie der Physik

AGPhil 5: Quantum Theory 4

AGPhil 5.3: Vortrag

Mittwoch, 1. September 2021, 17:30–18:00, H8

Master equations for Wigner functions with spontaneous collapse and their relation to thermodynamic irreversibility* — •Michael te Vrugt^1,2, Gyula I. Tóth³, and Raphael Wittkowski¹ — ¹Institut für Theoretische Physik, Center for Soft Nanoscience, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany — ²Philosophisches Seminar, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48143 Münster, Germany — ³Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical Modelling and Department of Mathematical Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, United Kingdom

Wigner functions allow for a reformulation of quantum mechanics in phase space. They are, as shown in our recent work [1], very useful for understanding effects of spontaneous collapses of the wavefunction as predicted by the Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber (GRW) theory. We derive the dynamic equations for the Wigner function in the GRW theory and its most important variants. The results are used to test, via computer simulations, David Albert’s suggestion that the stochasticity induced by spontaneous collapses is responsible for the emergence of thermodynamic irreversibility. We do not observe the equilibration mechanism proposed by Albert, suggesting that GRW theory cannot explain the approach to thermal equilibrium.

[1] M. te Vrugt, G. I. Tóth, R. Wittkowski, arXiv:2106.00137 (2021)

*Funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) – WI 4170/3-1