Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Entropy
Boltzmann–Loschmidt Dispute Reloaded: Quantum 150 Years Later
Abstract
The Boltzmann–Loschmidt dispute of 1876 questioned the possibility of a statistical irreversible description by time-reversible classical equations of motion of atoms. Here we show analytically and numerically that the quantum chaos diffusion of cold atoms, or ions, in a harmonic trap and pulsed optical lattice can be inverted back in time with up to 100% efficiency. This is in sharp contrast to classical evolution, where exponentially small errors break time reversibility. We argue that the existing experimental skills allow highlighting the Boltzmann–Loschmidt dispute from a quantum perspective.
Related
- Small-quench Loschmidt dynamics near quantum critical points
- Natural Metric-Affine Inflation: Reloaded
- A Restricted Boltzmann Machine with Quantum-State Visible Units
- Dephasing-Enhanced Response and Phase Transitions in Quantum Boltzmann Samplers
- On the Increase of Boltzmann Entropy in Closed Macroscopic Quantum Systems
BibTeX
@article{ermann2026boltzmannloschmidt,
title = {{Boltzmann–Loschmidt Dispute Reloaded: Quantum 150 Years Later}},
author = {Leonardo Ermann and Alexei D. D Chepelianskii and Dima Shepelyansky},
journal = {Entropy},
year = {2026},
month = may,
doi = {10.3390/e28060594},
eprint = {2604.04879},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05842252v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Boltzmann–Loschmidt Dispute Reloaded: Quantum 150 Years Later
AU - Leonardo Ermann
AU - Alexei D. D Chepelianskii
AU - Dima Shepelyansky
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/26
JO - Entropy
DO - 10.3390/e28060594
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05842252v1
AB - The Boltzmann–Loschmidt dispute of 1876 questioned the possibility of a statistical irreversible description by time-reversible classical equations of motion of atoms. Here we show analytically and numerically that the quantum chaos diffusion of cold atoms, or ions, in a harmonic trap and pulsed optical lattice can be inverted back in time with up to 100% efficiency. This is in sharp contrast to classical evolution, where exponentially small errors break time reversibility. We argue that the existing experimental skills allow highlighting the Boltzmann–Loschmidt dispute from a quantum perspective.
SN - 1099-4300
ER -