Probability of intrinsic time-arrow from information loss

Abstract

Time-arrow $s=+/-$, intrinsic to a concrete physical system, is associated with the direction of information loss $\Delta I$ displayed by the random evolution of the given system. When the information loss tends to zero the intrinsic time-arrow becomes uncertain. We propose the heuristic relationship $1/[1+exp(-s\Delta I)]$ for the probability of the intrinsic time-arrow. The main parts of the present work are trying to confirm this heuristic equation. The probability of intrinsic time arrow is defined by Bayesian inference from the observed random process. From irreversible thermodynamic systems, the proposed heuristic probabilities follow via the Gallavotti-Cohen relations between time-reversed random processes. In order to explore the underlying microscopic mechanism, a trivial microscopic process is analyzed and an obvious discrepancy is identified. It can be resolved by quantum theory. The corresponding trivial quantum process will exactly confirm the proposed heuristic time-arrow probability.