2011/01/18 by Amit Hagar, Hagar, Amit, Giuseppe Sergioli +1 · 1 citation
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Computability, Logic, AI Algorithms #Computational Complexity (cs.CC) #FOS: Computer and information sciences #FOS: Physical sciences #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum Physics (quant-ph) #Statistical Mechanics and Entropy
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1101.3521
openalex publication_date 2011/01/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We propose a new interpretation of objective deterministic chances in statistical physics based on physical computational complexity. This notion applies to a single physical system (be it an experimental set--up in the lab, or a subsystem of the universe), and quantifies (1) the difficulty to realize a physical state given another, (2) the `distance' (in terms of physical resources) of a physical state from another, and (3) the size of the set of time--complexity functions that are compatible with the physical resources required to reach a physical state from another. This view (a) exorcises "ignorance" from statistical physics, and (b) underlies a new interpretation to non--relativistic quantum mechanics.