发表机构
University of Oxford; University College London（牛津大学; 伦敦大学学院）
机构由 AI 辅助整理，请以论文原文为准。AI 中文总结
研究量子力学不完整问题，基于具有连续谱的量子系统，解释其与热力学第二定律不一致及测量问题，通过孤立系统的时间对称性破缺等实现平衡，测量过程符合投影假设，数学结构类似经典遍历理论。
AI 中文摘要
量子力学被广泛认为是不完整的。它与热力学第二定律不一致，且无法为测量过程提供科学可信的物理解释。本文表明，在具有连续谱的量子系统中，所有这些性质都能自然且一致地得到解释。对于孤立系统，量子态的幺正时间演化的时间反演对称性会导致时间对称性破缺和半群演化，最终达到热力学平衡。测量过程也能与冯·诺依曼投影假设相符。该理论的数学结构与经典遍历理论相似。
英文摘要
Quantum mechanics is widely recognised as being incomplete. It is not consistent with the second law of thermodynamics and does not provide a scientifically credible physical account of the measurement process, the means by which coherence is broken and classically observable states are recorded. This has led to many ad hoc assumptions being used to account for various properties of quantum systems, among which is the coherence time of quantum devices that determines their ability to perform computations. Here, we show that all these properties can be accommodated naturally and consistently in the context of mixing quantum systems which exhibit continuous spectra, as arises in the thermodynamic limit in quantum statistical mechanics and quantum gravity. In particular, for isolated systems we show that the time-reversal symmetry associated with unitary time evolution of the quantum state gives rise to time-symmetry breaking and a semi-group evolution which attains thermodynamic equilibrium at long times. Moreover, the emergence of this non-unitary time-asymmetry leads to microcanonical equilibrium states in which all quantum coherence is lost and is accompanied by the transformation of pure states into mixtures, leading in turn to an increase in entropy. Inclusion of a macroscopic measurement apparatus shows how the outcome of a measurement corresponds to the von Neumann projection postulate, arising with probabilities in conformance with the Born rule. The mathematical structure of the theory which applies to quantum systems with continuous spectra is closely analogous to the classical ergodic theory of dynamical systems and the conditions under which they attain equilibrium states.
