Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Scientific Reports

Time: a Constructal viewpoint & its consequences

Umberto Lucia, Giulia Grisolia

Published Jul 18, 2019• 19 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In the environment, there exists a continuous interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter. So, atoms continuously interact with the photons of the environmental electromagnetic fields. This electromagnetic interaction is the consequence of the continuous and universal thermal non-equilibrium, that introduces an element of randomness to atomic and molecular motion. Consequently, a decreasing of path probability required for microscopic reversibility of evolution occurs. Recently, an energy footprint has been theoretically proven in the atomic electron-photon interaction, related to the well known spectroscopic phase shift effect, and the results on the irreversibility of the electromagnetic interaction with atoms and molecules, experimentally obtained in the late sixties. Here, we want to show how this quantum footprint is the "origin of time". Last, the result obtained represents also a response to the question introduced by Einstein on the analysis of the interaction between radiation and molecules when thermal radiation is considered; he highlighted that in general one restricts oneself to a discussion of the energy exchange, without taking the momentum exchange into account. Our result has been obtained just introducing the momentum into the quantum analysis.

DOI
10.1038/s41598-019-46980-5

Related papers

Time: a footprint of irreversibility

Umberto Lucia, Giulia Grisolia

In the environment there exists a continuous interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter. So, atoms continuously interact with the photons of the environmental electromagnetic fields. This electromagnetic interaction is a consequence of thermal non-equilibrium. It introduces an element of randomness into atomic and molecular motion, which leads to the decrease of the path probability required for the microscopic reversibility of evolution. Recently, an energy footprint has been theoretically proven in the atomic electron-photon interaction, as well as the well known spectroscopic phase shift effect and the results on the irreversibility of the electromagnetic interaction with atoms and molecules, experimentally obtained by R.O. Doyle in 1968. Here, we want to show that such a quantum footprint is nothing more than the generation of time.

Atti della Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti. Classe di Scienze Fisiche, Matematiche e Naturali/Atti della Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti, Classe di Scienze Fisiche, Matematiche e Naturali•Jan 1, 2019•8 citations

Macroscopic irreversibility and microscopic paradox: A Constructal law analysis of atoms as open systems

Umberto Lucia

The relation between macroscopic irreversibility and microscopic reversibility is a present unsolved problem. Constructal law is introduced to develop analytically the Einstein's, Schrödinger's, and Gibbs' considerations on the interaction between particles and thermal radiation (photons). The result leads to consider the atoms and molecules as open systems in continuous interaction with flows of photons from their surroundings. The consequent result is that, in any atomic transition, the energy related to the microscopic irreversibility is negligible, while when a great number of atoms (of the order of Avogadro's number) is considered, this energy related to irreversibility becomes so large that its order of magnitude must be taken into account. Consequently, macroscopic irreversibility results related to microscopic irreversibility by flows of photons and amount of atoms involved in the processes.

Scientific Reports•Oct 20, 2016•29 citations

Genesis of quantization of matter and radiation field

Luis de la Peña, Ana Marı́a Cetto

Are we to accept quantization as a fundamental property of nature, the origin of which does not require or admit further investigation? To get an insight into this question we consider atomic systems as open systems, since they are by necessity in contact with the electromagnetic radiation field. This includes not only photonic radiation, but, more importantly for our purposes, the random zero-point or nonthermal radiation that pervades the Universe. The Heisenberg inequalities, atomic stability and the existence of discrete solutions are explained as a result of the permanent action of this field upon matter and the balance between mean absorbed and emitted powers in the equilibrium regime. A detailed study carried out along the years has led to the usual quantum-mechanical formalism as a powerful and revealing statistical description of the behavior of matter in the radiationless approximation, as well as to the radiative corrections of nonrelativistic QED. The theory presented gives thus a response to the question posed above, within a local, realist and objective framework: quantization appears as an emergent phenomenon due to the matter-field interaction.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Sep 10, 2015•0 citations

The evolution of interacting quantum systems

G. Grynberg, Alain Aspect, Claude Fabre +1 more

In this work we shall study the interaction of matter and light. In so doing we shall rely heavily on the description of such processes provided by quantum mechanics. This appears on a number of levels: firstly, a quantum description of matter is indispensable if one wants to understand on the microscopic scale the different kinds of interaction processes that can occur. Secondly, a quantum description of light often turns out to be useful, sometimes necessary, to better understand these processes. We shall study phenomena such as spontaneous emission, which can only be properly treated by a theory taking into account the quantum nature of both light and matter. In the following chapters we shall address, amongst others, the following question: ‘given an atom prepared at a given time in a particular state and subjected from this time onwards to electromagnetic radiation, what is the state of the atom and radiation at any later moment in time?’ In order to be able to answer this question it will be necessary for us to know how to calculate the evolution of a quantum system in a small number of typical situations. These methods we shall demonstrate in the first chapter. The evolution of the coupled atom–light system depends on the temporal dependence of the applied light field, which could, for example, be applied from a given moment and thereafter remain unchanged in intensity, or, perhaps, be appreciable only for a finite period of time (pulsed excitation).

Cambridge University Press eBooks•Sep 2, 2010•0 citations

Quantum mechanics and its interpretation

Peter Holland

The nature of the problem The quantum world is inexplicable in classical terms. The predictions pertaining to the interaction of matter and light embodied in Newton's laws for the motion of particles and Maxwell's equations governing the propagation of electromagnetic fields are in flat contradiction with the experimental facts at the microscopic scale. A key feature of quantum effects is their apparent indeterminism, that individual atomic events are unpredictable, uncontrollable and literally seem to have no cause. Regularities emerge only when one considers a large ensemble of such events. This indeed is generally considered to constitute the heart of the conceptual problem posed by quantum phenomena, necessitating a fundamental revision of the deterministic classical world view. Some of the principal phenomena, among those discussed in this book, are as follows: ( a ) Self-interference: a beam of electrons sent one at a time through a barrier containing two apertures builds up through a series of localized detection events on a screen an interference pattern characteristic of waves (cf. the frontispiece and §5.1). ( b ) Tunnelling: an α-particle trapped in a nucleus can pass through a potential barrier in a manner forbidden to a classical particle (§5.3). ( c ) The stability of matter: atoms and molecules are found to exist only in certain discrete, or ‘stationary’, energy states. For this reason they do not ‘collapse’, the result predicted by classical electrodynamics. During transitions between stationary states (quantum jumps) an atom exchanges a discrete quantity of energy with the electromagnetic field (§§4.5, 7.6). […]

Cambridge University Press eBooks•May 13, 1993•3 citations

Irreversible and quantum thermodynamic considerations on the quantum zeno effect

Umberto Lucia

The quantum zeno effect slows down the quantum system's time evolution under frequent measurements. This paper aims to study this quantum effect by introducing the definition of time based on an irreversible thermodynamic analysis of quantum systems. Consequently, the quantum zeno effect requires (i) high values of the electromagnetic entropy generation rate related to the spontaneously down-converted light and (ii) a decrease in the quantum system's entropy value. So, the quantum zeno effect is a quantum process related to the interaction between a quantum system and the electromagnetic waves of the measurement device, causing a quantum thermodynamic stationary state. Last, the fundamental role of irreversibility emerges.

Scientific Reports•Jul 4, 2023•3 citations
In the environment, there exists a continuous interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter. So, atoms continuously interact with the photons of the environmental electromagnetic fields. This electromagnetic interaction is the consequence of the continuous and universal thermal non-equilibrium, that introduces an element of randomness to atomic and molecular motion. Consequently, a decreasing of path probability required for microscopic reversibility of evolution occurs. Recently, an energy footprint has been theoretically proven in the atomic electron-photon interaction, related to the well known spectroscopic phase shift effect, and the results on the irreversibility of the electromagnetic interaction with atoms and molecules, experimentally obtained in the late sixties. Here, we want to show how this quantum footprint is the "origin of time". Last, the result obtained represents also a response to the question introduced by Einstein on the analysis of the interaction between radiation and molecules when thermal radiation is considered; he highlighted that in general one restricts oneself to a discussion of the energy exchange, without taking the momentum exchange into account. Our result has been obtained just introducing the momentum into the quantum analysis.
In the environment there exists a continuous interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter. So, atoms continuously interact with the photons of the environmental electromagnetic fields. This electromagnetic interaction is a consequence of thermal non-equilibrium. It introduces an element of randomness into atomic and molecular motion, which leads to the decrease of the path probability required for the microscopic reversibility of evolution. Recently, an energy footprint has been theoretically proven in the atomic electron-photon interaction, as well as the well known spectroscopic phase shift effect and the results on the irreversibility of the electromagnetic interaction with atoms and molecules, experimentally obtained by R.O. Doyle in 1968. Here, we want to show that such a quantum footprint is nothing more than the generation of time.
The relation between macroscopic irreversibility and microscopic reversibility is a present unsolved problem. Constructal law is introduced to develop analytically the Einstein's, Schrödinger's, and Gibbs' considerations on the interaction between particles and thermal radiation (photons). The result leads to consider the atoms and molecules as open systems in continuous interaction with flows of photons from their surroundings. The consequent result is that, in any atomic transition, the energy related to the microscopic irreversibility is negligible, while when a great number of atoms (of the order of Avogadro's number) is considered, this energy related to irreversibility becomes so large that its order of magnitude must be taken into account. Consequently, macroscopic irreversibility results related to microscopic irreversibility by flows of photons and amount of atoms involved in the processes.
Are we to accept quantization as a fundamental property of nature, the origin of which does not require or admit further investigation? To get an insight into this question we consider atomic systems as open systems, since they are by necessity in contact with the electromagnetic radiation field. This includes not only photonic radiation, but, more importantly for our purposes, the random zero-point or nonthermal radiation that pervades the Universe. The Heisenberg inequalities, atomic stability and the existence of discrete solutions are explained as a result of the permanent action of this field upon matter and the balance between mean absorbed and emitted powers in the equilibrium regime. A detailed study carried out along the years has led to the usual quantum-mechanical formalism as a powerful and revealing statistical description of the behavior of matter in the radiationless approximation, as well as to the radiative corrections of nonrelativistic QED. The theory presented gives thus a response to the question posed above, within a local, realist and objective framework: quantization appears as an emergent phenomenon due to the matter-field interaction.
In this work we shall study the interaction of matter and light. In so doing we shall rely heavily on the description of such processes provided by quantum mechanics. This appears on a number of levels: firstly, a quantum description of matter is indispensable if one wants to understand on the microscopic scale the different kinds of interaction processes that can occur. Secondly, a quantum description of light often turns out to be useful, sometimes necessary, to better understand these processes. We shall study phenomena such as spontaneous emission, which can only be properly treated by a theory taking into account the quantum nature of both light and matter. In the following chapters we shall address, amongst others, the following question: ‘given an atom prepared at a given time in a particular state and subjected from this time onwards to electromagnetic radiation, what is the state of the atom and radiation at any later moment in time?’ In order to be able to answer this question it will be necessary for us to know how to calculate the evolution of a quantum system in a small number of typical situations. These methods we shall demonstrate in the first chapter. The evolution of the coupled atom–light system depends on the temporal dependence of the applied light field, which could, for example, be applied from a given moment and thereafter remain unchanged in intensity, or, perhaps, be appreciable only for a finite period of time (pulsed excitation).
The nature of the problem The quantum world is inexplicable in classical terms. The predictions pertaining to the interaction of matter and light embodied in Newton's laws for the motion of particles and Maxwell's equations governing the propagation of electromagnetic fields are in flat contradiction with the experimental facts at the microscopic scale. A key feature of quantum effects is their apparent indeterminism, that individual atomic events are unpredictable, uncontrollable and literally seem to have no cause. Regularities emerge only when one considers a large ensemble of such events. This indeed is generally considered to constitute the heart of the conceptual problem posed by quantum phenomena, necessitating a fundamental revision of the deterministic classical world view. Some of the principal phenomena, among those discussed in this book, are as follows: ( a ) Self-interference: a beam of electrons sent one at a time through a barrier containing two apertures builds up through a series of localized detection events on a screen an interference pattern characteristic of waves (cf. the frontispiece and §5.1). ( b ) Tunnelling: an α-particle trapped in a nucleus can pass through a potential barrier in a manner forbidden to a classical particle (§5.3). ( c ) The stability of matter: atoms and molecules are found to exist only in certain discrete, or ‘stationary’, energy states. For this reason they do not ‘collapse’, the result predicted by classical electrodynamics. During transitions between stationary states (quantum jumps) an atom exchanges a discrete quantity of energy with the electromagnetic field (§§4.5, 7.6). […]
The quantum zeno effect slows down the quantum system's time evolution under frequent measurements. This paper aims to study this quantum effect by introducing the definition of time based on an irreversible thermodynamic analysis of quantum systems. Consequently, the quantum zeno effect requires (i) high values of the electromagnetic entropy generation rate related to the spontaneously down-converted light and (ii) a decrease in the quantum system's entropy value. So, the quantum zeno effect is a quantum process related to the interaction between a quantum system and the electromagnetic waves of the measurement device, causing a quantum thermodynamic stationary state. Last, the fundamental role of irreversibility emerges.