Time reversal operations, representations of the Lorentz group, and the direction of time

Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 35 (1):31-43 (2003)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

A theory is usually said to be time reversible if whenever a sequence of states S 1, S 2, S 3 is possible according to that theory, then the reverse sequence of time reversed states S 3 T, S 2 T, S 1 T is also possible according to that theory; i.e., one normally not only inverts the sequence of states, but also operates on the states with a time reversal operator T. David Albert and Paul Horwich have suggested that one should not allow such time reversal operations T on states. I will argue that time reversal operations on fundamental states should be allowed. I will furthermore argue that the form that time reversal operations take is determined by the type of fundamental geometric quantities that occur in nature and that we have good reason to believe that the fundamental geometric quantities that occur in nature correspond to irreducible representations of the Lorentz transformations. Finally, I will argue that we have good reason to believe that space-time has a temporal orientation.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,616

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Time reversal operations, representations of the Lorentz group, and the direction of time.Frank Arntzenius - 2004 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 35 (1):31-43.
Time reversal operations, representations of the Lorentz group, and the direction of time.Frank Arntzenius - 2004 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 35 (1):31-43.
The logic of time reversal.E. J. Post - 1979 - Foundations of Physics 9 (1-2):129-161.
Three myths about time reversal in quantum theory.Bryan W. Roberts - 2017 - Philosophy of Science 84 (2):315-334.
What time reversal invariance is and why it matters.John Earman - 2002 - International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 16 (3):245 – 264.
Quantum time arrows, semigroups and time-reversal in scattering.Robert C. Bishop - 2005 - International Journal of Theoretical Physics:723-733.
Prospects for a new account of time reversal.Daniel J. Peterson - 2013 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 49:42-56.
On the time reversal invariance of classical electromagnetic theory.David B. Malament - 2003 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 35 (2):295-315.
Maxwell's Paradox: The Metaphysics of Classical Electrodynamics and its Time Reversal Invariance.Valia Allori - 2015 - Analytica: an electronic, open-access journal for philosophy of science 1:1-19.
Two Views on Time Reversal.Jill North - 2008 - Philosophy of Science 75 (2):201-223.
Time's arrow and irreversibility in time-asymmetric quantum mechanics.Mario Castagnino, Manuel Gadella & Olimpia Lombardi - 2005 - International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 19 (3):223–243.
A new interpretation of time reversal.Sun-Tak Hwang - 1972 - Foundations of Physics 2 (4):315-326.

Analytics

Added to PP
2017-02-20

Downloads
7 (#1,201,127)

6 months
2 (#668,348)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Frank Arntzenius
Oxford University

Citations of this work

Time Reversal.Bryan W. Roberts - 2022 - In Eleanor Knox & Alastair Wilson (eds.), The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Physics. London, UK: Routledge.
Against pointillisme about mechanics.Jeremy Butterfield - 2006 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 57 (4):709-753.
Time reversal invariance and ontology.Ward Struyve - forthcoming - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science.
Quantum mechanics, time and ontology.Valia Allori - 2019 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 66 (C):145-154.

View all 18 citations / Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references