In the light of time

被引:56
作者
Tuisku, Petri [2 ]
Pernu, Tuomas K. [3 ,4 ]
Annila, Arto [1 ,4 ,5 ]
机构
[1] Univ Helsinki, Dept Phys, Helsinki 00014, Finland
[2] Univ Helsinki, Dept Math, Helsinki 00014, Finland
[3] Univ Helsinki, Dept Philosophy, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland
[4] Univ Helsinki, Dept Biol & Environm Sci, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland
[5] Univ Helsinki, Inst Biotechnol, Helsinki 00014, Finland
来源
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY A-MATHEMATICAL PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES | 2009年 / 465卷 / 2104期
关键词
action; causality; dissipation; energy transfer; entropy; evolution; LIFE; IRREVERSIBILITY; PRINCIPLE;
D O I
10.1098/rspa.2008.0494
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
The concept of time is examined using the second law of thermodynamics that was recently formulated as an equation of motion. According to the statistical notion of increasing entropy, flows of energy diminish differences between energy densities that form space. The flow of energy is identified with the flow of time. The non-Euclidean energy landscape, i.e. the curved space time, is in evolution when energy is. owing down along gradients and levelling the density differences. The flows along the steepest descents, i.e. geodesics are obtained from the principle of least action for mechanics, electrodynamics and quantum mechanics. The arrow of time, associated with the expansion of the Universe, identifies with grand dispersal of energy when high-energy densities transform by various mechanisms to lower densities in energy and eventually to ever-diluting electromagnetic radiation. Likewise, time in a quantum system takes an increment forwards in the detection-associated dissipative transformation when the stationary-state system begins to evolve pictured as the wave function collapse. The energy dispersal is understood to underlie causality so that an energy gradient is a cause and the resulting energy flow is an effect. The account on causality by the concepts of physics does not imply determinism; on the contrary, evolution of space time as a causal chain of events is non-deterministic.
引用
收藏
页码:1173 / 1198
页数:26
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