Mathematisches Kolloquium
On Thursday December 5th, 2019, at 16:30h
Jürg Fröhlich
(ETH Zurich)
will give a talk in lecture hall B004 on
The Arrow of Time
Abstract: A mathematical analysis of irrevisible behavior in various physical systems is presented. Often irrevisibility manifests itself in the form of "entropy production". This motivates to begin the lecture with a brief review of relative entropy and with a sketch of some of the sources of irrevisible behavior. Subsequently, the Second Law of thermodynamics in the forms given to it by Clausius and Carnot is derived from quantum statistical mechanics. In a third part, a derivation of Brownian motion of a quantum particle interacting with a quantum-mechanical thermal reservoir is sketched. This is followed by an outline of a theory of Hamiltonian Friction. To conclude, the fundamental arrow of time inherent in quantum mechanics is highlighted.
Everyone is invited! Join us for coffee and tea in the common room (B448) half an hour before the talk.