Lanford’s Theorem and the Emergence of Irreversibility

Foundations of Physics 45 (4):404-438 (2015)
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Abstract

It has been a longstanding problem to show how the irreversible behaviour of macroscopic systems can be reconciled with the time-reversal invariance of these same systems when considered from a microscopic point of view. A result by Lanford shows that, under certain conditions, the famous Boltzmann equation, describing the irreversible behaviour of a dilute gas, can be obtained from the time-reversal invariant Hamiltonian equations of motion for the hard spheres model. Here, we examine how and in what sense Lanford’s theorem succeeds in deriving this remarkable result. Many authors have expressed different views on the question which of the ingredients in Lanford’s theorem is responsible for the emergence of irreversibility. We claim that these interpretations miss the target. In fact, we argue that there is no time-asymmetric ingredient at all

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References found in this work

The approach towards equilibrium in Lanford’s theorem.Giovanni Valente - 2014 - European Journal for Philosophy of Science 4 (3):309-335.
Is there a reversibility paradox? Recentering the debate on the thermodynamic time arrow.Alon Drory - 2008 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 39 (4):889-913.

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