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

arXiv:quant-ph/0012017

Time and Information

Scott M. Hitchcock

Published Dec 5, 2000• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The relationship between 'information' and 'time' is explored in order to look for a 'solution' to the 'Problem of Time'. 'Time' is found to be the result of the conversion of energy into 'information'. The 'time' number or label we assign to 'events' can be manufactured by processing information 'flowing' from a Feynman Clock (FC), via a 'signal', to a Feynman Detector (FD) in causal networks. Macroscopic arrows of time are built from the irreversible Quantum Arrow of Time (QAT) associated with unstable or excited states of quantum systems. The QAT is shown to be connected to the thermodynamic arrow of time. Collective Excitations, and causal networks provide a means for understanding 'time' in complex systems. The ordered set of the 'time' numbers labeling 'events' can be used to construct the 'direction' and 'dimension' associated with the usual conception of a 'time' axis or 'time' coordinate in quantum, classical and realtivistic mechanics.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.quant-ph/0012017

Related papers

Time and Information, The Origins of 'Time' from Information Flow In Causal Networks and Complex Systems

Scott M. Hitchcock

The 'problem of time' can be 'solved' in principle by taking the viewpoint that information created by quantum systems or Feynman Clocks (FCs) is transferred by signals to detectors as quantum 'infostates' and then used to construct 'time' with a T-computer. This constructed quantum 'time' results from the quantum computational process of coupling observed signals to standard clock signals into time labeled infostates in an observers' T-computer. The T-computer model is used to define standard 'time coordinates' for 'events' in space-time maps. The 'direction' and 'dimension' of 'arrows of time' follow from the ordering and properties of the numbers used to label event 'times'.

arXiv:quant-ph/0111025•Nov 4, 2001•0 citations

Quantum origin of time's arrow

Davide Romano

The problem of time’s arrow is (roughly) to understand why macroscopic physical processes typically evolve in a specific direction (the one we call “the future”) even though the underlying laws of physics describing the individual microscopic systems are time-reversal invariant. The standard answer to this problem is given by Boltzmann’s explanation of the II law of thermodynamics: a classical system starting in a non-equilibrium state spontaneously (i.e. with a high level of probability) tends towards equilibrium, thus implementing an irreversible process. However, this explanation has two drawbacks: 1. it needs a further assumption on the entropy of the initial state of the universe (past hypothesis); 2. microscopic systems (e.g. molecules in a box) should be represented as quantum states and not classical states. In this talk, I want to propose a different hypothesis to explain the origin of time’s arrow, based on quantum mechanics, specifically on decoherence theory. Differently from isolated systems, open quantum systems described by decoherence theory showirreversible behavior, as they evolve towards decoherence and von Neumann entropy increase. Is this behavior a sign of genuine irreversibility? And, if so, can this be linked to thermodynamic irreversibility?

•Jun 21, 2024•0 citations

Exploring the Nature of Time: From Quantum Evolution to Wave Function Collapse (Real and Imaginary Time)

Bhushan Bhoja Poojary

Time has always been a fundamental yet enigmatic concept in physics. From the arrow of time in thermodynamics to the timeless nature of quantum mechanics, understanding time's essence has challenged the foundations of modern physics. In this paper, we propose a novel interpretation of time in quantum mechanics, distinguishing between real time as observable events (wave function collapse or address changes) and imaginary time as the continuous evolution of the quantum state. By connecting this framework with the holographic principle, we aim to provide insights into the nature of time, its arrow, and its relationship with quantum mechanics. Keywords Thermodynamics; Wave function; Quantum mechanics; Holographic principle

ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry•Jan 1, 2024•0 citations

What is Time

Bharath Ron

Physics is studying a system based on the information available about it. There are two approaches to physics, deterministic and the nondeterministic. The deterministic approaches assume everything is known about the system. Since everything about the system is almost never known, nondeterministic approaches such as statistical physics and quantum physics are of high importance. After a tour through informational interpretation of quantum physics and required mathematical tools, we go into the notion of time. We address the problem of time and a cluster of problems around measurement in quantum mechanics. I present a new approach to interpreting time in terms of information changes. Time will emerge from the non-commutativity of quantum theory. In the third section we review information thermodynamics and later derive some relations between our notion of time and the thermal time.

•Apr 3, 2017•1 citation

The 0 → 1 Hypothesis: Physical Events, Information, and the Emergence of Time

Reino Rehn

Abstract, This paper introduces the 0 → 1 hypothesis, a conceptual framework in which physical events and their relational ordering are treated as potentially more fundamental than macroscopic time. Rather than assuming time to be a universally flowing background parameter, the framework begins with distinguishable physical states, transitions between states, and causal or relational ordering among events. The notation 0 → 1 is used as a conceptual shorthand for physical becoming; it does not imply binary computation, creation from nothing, wave-function collapse, or a universal Planck-time clock. The central question is whether familiar temporal quantities can emerge from a more fundamental relational structure while remaining compatible with relativistic causal structure, quantum theory, and the thermodynamic arrow of time. A minimal mathematical scaffold is proposed in terms of an event set, a causal partial order, state transitions, and a coarse-grained duration functional. The framework is compared with relational time, the Page–Wootters mechanism, and causal-set approaches. At its present stage, the 0 → 1 hypothesis is a conceptual research framework rather than a complete physical theory. The paper therefore identifies the mathematical and empirical requirements that would be necessary for the hypothesis to become falsifiable and experimentally distinguishable from existing approaches.

•Sep 11, 2026•0 citations

ON THE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE ARROWS OF TIME

Francesco Mappa

This work proposes an original formulation that establishes a rigorous mathematical correspondence between the quantum arrow of time, emerging from decoherence and measurement processes, and the thermodynamic arrow of time, associated with the increase in entropy. The central thesis is that these two arrows are not independent phenomena, but different manifestations of a single fundamental principle of quantum information dissipation.

•Apr 12, 2026•0 citations
The relationship between 'information' and 'time' is explored in order to look for a 'solution' to the 'Problem of Time'. 'Time' is found to be the result of the conversion of energy into 'information'. The 'time' number or label we assign to 'events' can be manufactured by processing information 'flowing' from a Feynman Clock (FC), via a 'signal', to a Feynman Detector (FD) in causal networks. Macroscopic arrows of time are built from the irreversible Quantum Arrow of Time (QAT) associated with unstable or excited states of quantum systems. The QAT is shown to be connected to the thermodynamic arrow of time. Collective Excitations, and causal networks provide a means for understanding 'time' in complex systems. The ordered set of the 'time' numbers labeling 'events' can be used to construct the 'direction' and 'dimension' associated with the usual conception of a 'time' axis or 'time' coordinate in quantum, classical and realtivistic mechanics.
The 'problem of time' can be 'solved' in principle by taking the viewpoint that information created by quantum systems or Feynman Clocks (FCs) is transferred by signals to detectors as quantum 'infostates' and then used to construct 'time' with a T-computer. This constructed quantum 'time' results from the quantum computational process of coupling observed signals to standard clock signals into time labeled infostates in an observers' T-computer. The T-computer model is used to define standard 'time coordinates' for 'events' in space-time maps. The 'direction' and 'dimension' of 'arrows of time' follow from the ordering and properties of the numbers used to label event 'times'.
The problem of time’s arrow is (roughly) to understand why macroscopic physical processes typically evolve in a specific direction (the one we call “the future”) even though the underlying laws of physics describing the individual microscopic systems are time-reversal invariant. The standard answer to this problem is given by Boltzmann’s explanation of the II law of thermodynamics: a classical system starting in a non-equilibrium state spontaneously (i.e. with a high level of probability) tends towards equilibrium, thus implementing an irreversible process. However, this explanation has two drawbacks: 1. it needs a further assumption on the entropy of the initial state of the universe (past hypothesis); 2. microscopic systems (e.g. molecules in a box) should be represented as quantum states and not classical states. In this talk, I want to propose a different hypothesis to explain the origin of time’s arrow, based on quantum mechanics, specifically on decoherence theory. Differently from isolated systems, open quantum systems described by decoherence theory showirreversible behavior, as they evolve towards decoherence and von Neumann entropy increase. Is this behavior a sign of genuine irreversibility? And, if so, can this be linked to thermodynamic irreversibility?
Time has always been a fundamental yet enigmatic concept in physics. From the arrow of time in thermodynamics to the timeless nature of quantum mechanics, understanding time's essence has challenged the foundations of modern physics. In this paper, we propose a novel interpretation of time in quantum mechanics, distinguishing between real time as observable events (wave function collapse or address changes) and imaginary time as the continuous evolution of the quantum state. By connecting this framework with the holographic principle, we aim to provide insights into the nature of time, its arrow, and its relationship with quantum mechanics. Keywords Thermodynamics; Wave function; Quantum mechanics; Holographic principle
Physics is studying a system based on the information available about it. There are two approaches to physics, deterministic and the nondeterministic. The deterministic approaches assume everything is known about the system. Since everything about the system is almost never known, nondeterministic approaches such as statistical physics and quantum physics are of high importance. After a tour through informational interpretation of quantum physics and required mathematical tools, we go into the notion of time. We address the problem of time and a cluster of problems around measurement in quantum mechanics. I present a new approach to interpreting time in terms of information changes. Time will emerge from the non-commutativity of quantum theory. In the third section we review information thermodynamics and later derive some relations between our notion of time and the thermal time.
Abstract, This paper introduces the 0 → 1 hypothesis, a conceptual framework in which physical events and their relational ordering are treated as potentially more fundamental than macroscopic time. Rather than assuming time to be a universally flowing background parameter, the framework begins with distinguishable physical states, transitions between states, and causal or relational ordering among events. The notation 0 → 1 is used as a conceptual shorthand for physical becoming; it does not imply binary computation, creation from nothing, wave-function collapse, or a universal Planck-time clock. The central question is whether familiar temporal quantities can emerge from a more fundamental relational structure while remaining compatible with relativistic causal structure, quantum theory, and the thermodynamic arrow of time. A minimal mathematical scaffold is proposed in terms of an event set, a causal partial order, state transitions, and a coarse-grained duration functional. The framework is compared with relational time, the Page–Wootters mechanism, and causal-set approaches. At its present stage, the 0 → 1 hypothesis is a conceptual research framework rather than a complete physical theory. The paper therefore identifies the mathematical and empirical requirements that would be necessary for the hypothesis to become falsifiable and experimentally distinguishable from existing approaches.