Spontaneous breakdown of the time reversal symmetry

Abstract

The role of the environment initial conditions in the breaking of the time reversal symmetry of effective theories and in generating the soft irreversibility is studied by the help of Closed Time Path formalism. The initial conditions break the time reversal symmetry of the solution of the equation of motion in a trivial manner. When open systems are considered then the initial conditions of the environment must be included in the effective dynamics. This is achieved by means of a generalized $\epsilon$-prescription where the non-uniform convergence of the limit $\epsilon\to0$ leaves behind a spontaneous breakdown of the time reversal symmetry.