Entropy augmentation through subadditive excess: information theory in irreversible processes

Abstract

Within its range of applicability, the Boltzmann equation seems unique in its capacity to accurately describe the transition from almost any initial state to a self-equilibrated thermal state. Using information-theoretic methods to rephrase the key idea of Maxwell and Boltzmann, the Sto{\ss}zahlansatz, a far more general, abstract ansatz is developed. An increase of the Gibbs-Shannon-von Neumann entropy results without the usual coarse-graining. The mathematical structure of the ansatz also provides avenues for efficient computation and simulation.