The Road to Maxwell's demon / Meir Hemmo, Orly Shenker.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hemmo, Meir, author.

Shenker, Orly, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Maxwell, James Clerk, 1831-1879.

Maxwell, James Clerk.

Maxwell's demon.

Second law of thermodynamics.

Statistical thermodynamics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 327 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Time asymmetric phenomena are successfully predicted by statistical mechanics. Yet the foundations of this theory are surprisingly shaky. Its explanation for the ease of mixing milk with coffee is incomplete, and even implies that un-mixing them should be just as easy. In this book the authors develop a new conceptual foundation for statistical mechanics that addresses this difficulty. Explaining the notions of macrostates, probability, measurement, memory, and the arrow of time in statistical mechanics, they reach the startling conclusion that Maxwell's Demon, the famous perpetuum mobile, is consistent with the fundamental physical laws. Mathematical treatments are avoided where possible, and instead the authors use novel diagrams to illustrate the text. This is a fascinating book for graduate students and researchers interested in the foundations and philosophy of physics.

Contents:

1. Introduction

2. Thermodynamics

2.1. The experience of asymmetry in time

2.2. The Law of Conservation of Energy

2.3. The Law of Approach to Equilibrium

2.4. The Second Law of Thermodynamics

2.5. The status of the laws of thermodynamics

3. Classical mechanics

3.1. The fundamental theory of the world

3.2. Introducing classical mechanics

3.3. Mechanical states

3.4. Time evolution of mechanical states

3.5. Thermodynamic magnitudes

3.6. A mechanical no-go theorem

3.7. The ergodic approach

3.8. Conclusion

4. Time

4.1. Introduction: why mechanics cannot underwrite thermodynamics

4.2. Classical kinematics

4.3. The direction of time and the direction of velocity in time

4.4. The description of mechanical states

4.5. Velocity reversal

4.6. Retrodiction

4.7. Time reversal and time-reversal invariance

4.8. Why the time-reversal invariance of classical mechanics matters

5. Macrostates

5.1. The physical nature of macrostates

5.2. How do macrostates come about?

5.3. Explaining thermodynamics with macrostates

5.4. The dynamics of macrostates

5.5. The physical origin of thermodynamic macrostates

5.6. Boltzmann's macrostates

5.7. Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution

5.8. The observer in statistical mechanics

5.9. Counterfactual observers

6. Probability

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Probability in statistical mechanics

6.3. Choice of measure in statistical mechanics

6.4. Measure of a macrostate and its probability

6.5. Transition probabilities without blobs

6.6. Dependence on observed history?

6.7. The spin echo experiments

6.8. Robustness of transition probabilities

6.9. No probability over initial conditions

7. Entropy

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Entropy

7.3. The distinction between entropy and probability

7.4. Equilibrium in statistical mechanics

7.5. Law of Approach to Equilibrium

7.6. Second Law of Thermodynamics

7.7. Boltzmann's H-theorem

7.8. Loschmidt's reversibility objection

7.9. Poincare's recurrence theorem

7.10. Boltzmann's combinatorial argument

7.11. Back to Boltzmann's equation: Lanford's theorem

7.12. Conclusion

8. Typicality

8.1. Introduction

8.2. The explanatory arrow in statistical mechanics

8.3. Typicality

8.4. Are there natural measures?

8.5. Typical initial conditions

8.6. Measure-1 theorems and typicality

8.7. Conclusion

9. Measurement

9.1. Introduction

9.2. What is measurement in classical mechanics?

9.3. Collapse in classical measurement

9.4. State preparation

9.5. The shadows approach

9.6. Entropy

9.7. Status of the observer

10. The past

10.1. Introduction

10.2. The problem of retrodiction

10.3. The Past Hypothesis: memory and measurement

10.4. The Reliability Hypothesis

10.5. Past low entropy hypothesis

10.6. Remembering the future

10.7. Problem of initial improbable state

10.8. The dynamics of the Past Hypothesis

10.9. Local and global Past Hypotheses

10.10. Past Hypothesis and physics of memory

10.11. Memory in a time-reversed universe

11. Gibbs

11.1. Introduction

11.2. The Gibbsian method in equilibrium

11.3. Gibbsian method in terms of blobs and macrostates

11.4. Gibbsian equilibrium probability distributions

11.5. The approach to equilibrium

12. Erasure

12.1. Introduction

12.2. Why there is no microscopic erasure

12.3. What is a macroscopic erasure?

12.4. Necessary and sufficient conditions for erasure

12.5. Logic and entropy

12.6. Another logically irreversible operation

12.7. Logic and entropy: a model

12.8. What does erasure erase?

12.9. Conclusion

13. Maxwell's Demon

13.1. Thermodynamic and statistical mechanical demons

13.2. Szilard's insight

13.3. Entropy reduction: measurement

13.4. Efficiency and predictability

13.5. Completing the cycle of operation: erasure

13.6. The Liberal Stance

13.7. Conclusion

Appendix A Szilard's engine

Appendix B Quantum mechanics

B.1. Albert's approach

B.2. Bohmian mechanics

B.3. A quantum mechanical Maxwellian Demon.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-139-88875-7

1-139-57949-5

1-139-09516-1

1-139-57346-2

1-139-57092-7

1-139-56911-2

1-139-57267-9

1-283-63867-3

1-139-57001-3

OCLC:

812066766