Entropy, Horizon, and the Arrow of Time from Memory Kernel Dynamics in Open Quantum Systems
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: We develop a rigorous microscopic framework in which entropy production, horizon thermodynamics, and the arrow of time emerge from nonlocal memory effects in open quantum systems. Using the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism combined with the Two-Particle Irreducible (2PI) effective action, we derive the memory kernel K(t,t') as the imaginary part of the retarded self-energy. We prove a generalized H-theorem via the Kadanoff-Baym equations, demonstrating that entropy production is strictly non-negative as a consequence of the Optical Theorem and microscopic unitarity. Horizon entropy is derived rigorously using the replica trick applied to the nonlocal 2PI effective action on a conical defect, recovering the Bekenstein-Hawking area law through UV regularization at the Planck scale. We establish an infrared correspondence between the Functional Renormalization Group flow and the thermodynamic arrow of time in the hydrodynamic limit. This framework provides a unified foundation for nonequilibrium quantum gravity and serves as the basis for baryogenesis.
Author: Gimranov, Alik
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7166298779
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