Sean Carroll - Philosophical Issues in Quantum Thermodynamics

Talk by Sean Carroll given during the first Maryland Quantum-Thermodynamics Symposium on March 14, 2023.

Abstract: Quantum mechanics and thermodynamics, individually, are two areas of physics where foundational issues loom large. It stands to reason that their overlap would raise particularly pressing questions, but that specific territory is largely unexplored. I will introduce the most important foundational ideas in both QM and thermo, discuss how they might be brought together, and speculate on connections to cosmology and other fields.