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The Second Law of Thermodynamics at the Microscopic Scale

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Abstract

In quantum statistical mechanics, equilibrium states have been shown to be the typical states for a system that is entangled with its environment, suggesting a possible identification between thermodynamic and von Neumann entropies. In this paper, we investigate how the relaxation toward equilibrium is made possible through interactions that do not lead to significant exchange of energy, and argue for the validity of the second law of thermodynamics at the microscopic scale.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Goffredo Chirco, Tommaso De Lorenzo, Alejandro Perez, and Carlo Rovelli, for interesting discussions and useful comments.

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  1. Aix Marseille Univ, Université de Toulon, CNRS, CPT, Marseille, France

    Thibaut Josset

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  1. Thibaut Josset
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Correspondence to Thibaut Josset.

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Josset, T. The Second Law of Thermodynamics at the Microscopic Scale. Found Phys 47, 1185–1190 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10701-017-0104-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10701-017-0104-5

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