Abstract:

A single mechanism, endemic to the standard model of physics, is proposed to explain wavefunction collapse, classical motion, dissipation, equilibration, and the transition from pure quantum mechanics through open system decoherence to the natural regime. Spontaneous events in the neighborhood of a particle disrupts correlation such that large many-particle states do not persist and each particle collapses to a stable mode of motion established by its neighbors. These events are the source of thermal fluctuation and drive diffusion. Consequently, evolution is not deterministic, unitary or classically conservative; diffusion toward a steady state occurs incessantly in every system of particles, though slowed under unnatural experimental conditions that suppress these events. Mean properties of a system evolve as particles jump between single-particle modes, producing observed transport laws and equilibrium properties without additional postulate or empirical factors. These modes are localized in dense material, yielding classical characteristics. Boltzmann's equal probability postulate is valid only when comparing results of nonrelativistic observers.

Abstract:

Practical analysis of complex systems currently relies on empirical transport laws because diffusion cannot be described by state functions alone, as assumed in Classical Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics. I derive comprehensive transport equations directly from quantum mechanical principles by tallying particle motion individually, providing a concrete, seamless foundation for all applied physical science. This new approach resolves, without entropy or axiom, several critical issues that originally inspired the standard theories, and clarifies analysis of processes in mesoscopic and macroscopic systems.

Abstract:

Applied physical science theory has accrued through distilling empirical observations into ``laws of nature'' on which new findings are secured. Each field has its own empirical laws and language. All presumably should derive from physics. The only unifying principle currently is the Second Law of thermodynamics, postulated as the bridge between physics and macroscopic diffusion evident in all complex systems. I show that the Second Law is not valid because entropy is generally not maximum in equilibrium. Deviation from the Second Law widens with system complexity. This flaw is fatal to the entire theory of entropy because the state of a system cannot be resolved without the Second Law. I reveal the flaw through a comprehensive new theory of thermodynamics deriving from quantum mechanics without entropy or additional postulates. This new theory provides a common, transparent framework for analyzing real systems of any size and complexity. Empirical laws are thereby grounded directly on physics, which should facilitate future research and development, particularly in interdisciplinary fields.

Abstract:

The Second Law of thermodynamics requires positive internal entropy production (IEP) when a system evolves from one state to the next. IEP apparently indicates that an isolated system equilibrates and is steady thereafter, and that a process is irreversible between two equilibrium states. Originally, Clausius postulated the entropy law based on his First Law of thermodynamics, which represents internal energy conservation. However, total energy conservation not only clarifies the sources of entropy but also reveals that negative IEP occurs, violating the Second Law. Entropy is powerless to indicate spontaneous (irreversible) processes between equilibrium states.

Abstract:

The fluctuation-dissipation theorem is unique in physics by relating an equilibrium property to dissipation. Derivations of this theorem confuse the roles of fluctuation and mean flow in thermodynamics and introduce dissipation only by assumption. This is a mild issue for understanding Brownian motion. Yet it strikes at the heart of Lars Onsager's argument concluding that reciprocal macroscopic flows must be equal in the quasi-equilibrium limit because correlation of fluctuations is time reversible. In doing so, he relates irreversible thermodynamic flows to equilibrium fluctuations, apparently providing the final crucial bridge to secure statistical mechanics as a dynamic theory. Onsager's derivation implies, however, that entropy should increase continually, even in equilibrium, by following a fluctuation-dissipation equation. This contradiction is resolved by quantum mode analysis that rigorously distinguishes mean flow and random fluctuation and provides a consistent basis for understanding irreversibility and thermodynamics generally.