Physical Meaning and Experimental Check of a Variational Principle for Macro-to-Micro Transition

Abstract

It is argued that, for strongly non-linear behaviors, a fully deterministic position can hardly be maintained in the micro-macro transitions. This is due to the lack of information on the relevant boundary conditions, and to the tendency of non-linear dynamical systems to have a "horizon of predictibility". In the variational micro-macro model proposed by us, the data of the microscopic behavior plus the overall stimulus has to be supplemented by a "heterogeneity parameter". In this model, the macro-to-micro transition depends on the validity of a "principle of minimal heterogeneity" (PMH). It is shown that the PMH has a close relation to the maximum entropy principle.