Clausius entropy for arbitrary bifurcate null surfaces

DOI10.1088/0264-9381/31/3/035009zbMATH Open1285.83003arXiv1303.3185OpenAlexW2054201953WikidataQ59619438 ScholiaQ59619438MaRDI QIDQ5407869FDOQ5407869

Authors: Valentina Baccetti, Matt Visser 

Publication date: 8 April 2014

Published in: Classical and Quantum Gravity (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Jacobson's thermodynamic derivation of the Einstein equations was originally applied only to local Rindler horizons. But at least some parts of that construction can usefully be extended to give meaningful results for arbitrary bifurcate null surfaces. As presaged in Jacobson's original article, this more general construction sharply brings into focus the questions: Is entropy objectively "real"? Or is entropy in some sense subjective and observer-dependent? These innocent questions open a Pandora's box of often inconclusive debate. A consensus opinion, though certainly not universally held, seems to be that Clausius entropy (thermodynamic entropy, defined via a Clausius relation dS = dQ/T) should be objectively real, but that the ontological status of statistical entropy (Shannon or von Neumann entropy) is much more ambiguous, and much more likely to be observer-dependent. This question is particularly pressing when it comes to understanding Bekenstein entropy (black hole entropy). To perhaps further add to the confusion, we shall argue that even the Clausius entropy can often be observer-dependent. In the current article we shall conclusively demonstrate that one can meaningfully assign a notion of Clausius entropy to arbitrary bifurcate null surfaces --- effectively defining a "virtual Clausius entropy" for arbitrary "virtual (local) causal horizons". As an application, we see that we can implement a version of the generalized second law (GSL) for this virtual Clausius entropy. This version of GSL can be related to certain (nonstandard) integral variants of the null energy condition (NEC). Because the concepts involved are rather subtle, we take some effort in being careful and explicit in developing our framework. In future work we will apply this construction to generalize Jacobson's derivation of the Einstein equations.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1303.3185

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Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Measures of information, entropy (94A17) Classical and relativistic thermodynamics (80A10) Einstein's equations (general structure, canonical formalism, Cauchy problems) (83C05) Dynamical systems in other branches of physics (quantum mechanics, general relativity, laser physics) (37N20)

Cited In (4)

• Quantum fields in curved spacetime, semiclassical gravity, quantum gravity phenomenology, and analogue models: parallel session D4
• Quantum phenomenological gravitational dynamics: a general view from thermodynamics of spacetime
• Thermodynamics of spacetime and unimodular gravity
• Einstein's equations and the pseudo-entropy of pseudo-Riemannian information manifolds

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