- #1
asimov42
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I recently re-read an article by Muller (https://arxiv.org/pdf/1606.07975.pdf) about the flow of time, and the possibility of time reversal given sufficient energy dissipation (basically during black hole evaporation, he concludes). Although the paper is on arXiv and not peer reviewed, Muller has written a book on the topic.
This got me thinking: Muller's point is that a sufficient amount of energy must be dissipated rapidly (if his theory is correct) - but in a much more mundane sense, let's consider the emission of a single photon from an excited hydrogen atom...
If photon emission is instantaneous, then one could say that the power output (energy dissipation rate) is infinite (finite energy photon emitted in zero time). I don't think this is what Muller is getting at... but in any quantized system (e.g., a blackbody radiator), the energy emission (power output) will vary, just by virtue of energy coming out in 'chunks'.
So, is photon emission truly instantaneous? Or is there a quantum effect of some type that actually brings time into play in some way? (those are my real questions)
In the former case, it would seem that Muller's idea could be tested without looking at black holes, but he specifically states that small evaporating black holes are the only objects that radiate sufficiently.
I'm totally confused about how to square the idea of continuous radiation output with the nature of a quantized system.
Thanks all.
This got me thinking: Muller's point is that a sufficient amount of energy must be dissipated rapidly (if his theory is correct) - but in a much more mundane sense, let's consider the emission of a single photon from an excited hydrogen atom...
If photon emission is instantaneous, then one could say that the power output (energy dissipation rate) is infinite (finite energy photon emitted in zero time). I don't think this is what Muller is getting at... but in any quantized system (e.g., a blackbody radiator), the energy emission (power output) will vary, just by virtue of energy coming out in 'chunks'.
So, is photon emission truly instantaneous? Or is there a quantum effect of some type that actually brings time into play in some way? (those are my real questions)
In the former case, it would seem that Muller's idea could be tested without looking at black holes, but he specifically states that small evaporating black holes are the only objects that radiate sufficiently.
I'm totally confused about how to square the idea of continuous radiation output with the nature of a quantized system.
Thanks all.