Quantum theory is poking holes in our understanding of entropy

VICTOR de SCHWANBERG/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Measuring disorder in the quantum realm is creating a bit of a mess. A mathematical study found that three different definitions for entropy that were previously thought to be equivalent don’t always match for quantum objects.

When two objects are connected – say a container of hot gas is linked to a colder gas reservoir – the entropy of the colder one can increase because the two will exchange quantities like particles and heat. For almost 200 years, physicists have used the same set…



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