Environment Induced Time Arrow and the Closed Time Path method

Abstract

It is shown in the framework of a harmonic system that the thermodynamical time arrow is induced by the environmental initial conditions in a manner similar to spontaneous symmetry breaking. The Closed Time Path formalism is introduced in classical mechanics to handle Green functions for initial condition problems by the action principle, in a systematic manner. The application of this scheme for quantum systems shows the common dynamical origin of the thermodynamical and the quantum time arrows. It is furthermore conjectured that the quantum-classical transition is strongly coupled.