时间箭头相反的热力学演化的量子叠加
Quantum superposition of thermodynamic evolutions with opposing time's arrows
摘要：
微观物理定律是时间对称的，因此，先验地不存在优先的时间方向。然而，热力学第二定律允许人们将“向前”的时间方向与热力学过程中产生的总熵的正变化相关联，并将负变化与其“时间反转”对应物相关联。这个时间轴的定义通常被认为适用于经典和量子环境。然而，量子物理学也承认前向和时间反演过程之间的叠加，由此热力学时间箭头变得量子力学不确定。在这项工作中，我们证明了一个明确的热力学时间的箭头可以恢复的熵产生的量子测量，有效地项目这样的叠加到向前（时间反演）的时间方向时，大的正（负）值测量。值得注意的是，对于小的值（正或负1的量级），前向和时间反演过程的振幅可能会干扰，从而产生熵产生分布，其特征是比两个分量中的任何一个单独或任何经典混合都更可逆的过程。
英文摘要：
Microscopic physical laws are time-symmetric, hence, a priori there exists no preferential temporal direction. However, the second law of thermodynamics allows one to associate the "forward" temporal direction to a positive variation of the total entropy produced in a thermodynamic process, and a negative variation with its "time-reversal" counterpart. This definition of a temporal axis is normally considered to apply in both classical and quantum contexts. Yet, quantum physics admits also superpositions between forward and time-reversal processes, whereby the thermodynamic arrow of time becomes quantum-mechanically undefined. In this work, we demonstrate that a definite thermodynamic time's arrow can be restored by a quantum measurement of entropy production, which effectively projects such superpositions onto the forward (time-reversal) time-direction when large positive (negative) values are measured. Remarkably, for small values (of the order of plus or minus one), the amplitudes of forward and time-reversal processes can interfere, giving rise to entropy-production distributions featuring a more or less reversible process than either of the two components individually, or any classical mixture thereof.
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