preprints.org > physical sciences > quantum science and technology > doi: 10.20944/preprints202206.0353.v1

Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Version 1 : Received: 24 June 2022 / Approved: 27 June 2022 / Online: 27 June 2022 (08:05:02 CEST)
Version 2 : Received: 24 November 2022 / Approved: 25 November 2022 / Online: 25 November 2022 (04:29:00 CET)

The thermocontextual interpretation (TCI) defines the physical state with respect to a system’s actual surroundings at a positive ambient temperature. The TCI provides a clear distinction between the Second Law of thermodynamics and MaxEnt. The Second Law dictates irreversible dissipation of free energy to ambient heat, and it establishes the thermodynamic arrow of time. MaxEnt describes reversible changes in statistical mechanical entropy in response to changes in the system’s boundary constraints. We introduce new TCI postulates that establish the equality of thermal and statistical entropies and MaxEnt as a fundamental physical principle. We then apply MaxEnt to the double-slit experiment. Impacts of multiple particles symmetrically passing through parallel slits record a wave interference pattern over time. However, a which-slit detector eliminates wave interference. Richard Feynman called the double slit experiment the only mystery, at the heart of quantum mechanics. The TCI and MaxEnt offer a simple explanation. The which-slit detector breaks the system’s symmetry, and MaxEnt selects the higher-entropy asymmetrical state, enabling particles to pass through one slit or the other without wave interference.

entropy; physical foundations; MaxEnt; thermocontextuality; quantum mechanics; thermodynamics; complex system

Physical Sciences, Quantum Science and Technology

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