Randomness and Entropy Production

Dear Colleagues,

Information and randomness are intimately related concepts. This topical collection is intended to analyze their relationship at depth. It should offer a forum to explore and discuss the idea that random processes and disorder in space and time are, above all, sources of entropy. Fundamental questions arise, such as: Can randomness be quantified by a positive production of information? How can we distinguish “true randomness” from deterministic chaos? Where and how can unpredictable phenomena be traced down to deeper sources of randomness, for example in microscopic processes? In physics, the first notion of entropy is the thermodynamic, calorimetric notion, which does not fully overlap with the notions of information and randomness, except for well-controlled situations such as thermodynamic equilibrium states. For instance, the randomness exhibited by macroscopic and many-body systems is qualitatively distinct from chaos in systems with a few degrees of freedom. Which role does it play in thermalization? Randomness in quantum systems is considered the last stronghold of fundamental unpredictability. How can it be reconciled with entropy conservation in unitary quantum mechanics? There are important applications in fields beyond mathematics and physics, such as the stochastic nature of biomolecular reactions and of biological phenomena in general, or the limits of predictability of neural information processing. We believe that the production of entropy can provide us with a unifying approach to these diverse topics.

Papers on recent original research in mathematics and logics, in physics and the neighboring sciences, but also in philosophy are cordially invited. Reviews from a novel perspective are welcome, too. The Special Issue is intended for a wide audience, so contributions should be accessible to a multidisciplinary readership.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Dittrich
Collection Editor

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