The Quaternion Structure of Space-Time and Arrow of Time  

作　　者：Ying-Qiu Gu 

机构地区：[1]Fudan University, Shanghai 200434, China

出　　处：《Journal of Modern Physics》2012年第7期570-580,共11页现代物理（英文）

摘　　要：In fundamental theories of physics, the dynamical equations all have time inversion invariance. Except for the evolution of some simple system which has realistic inverse processes, but for a slightly more complicated system, the evolution processes are irreversible. This is the problem of arrow of time, which is always warmly debated. In different point of view, we find there may have some conceptual misunderstanding in the controversy: 1) The realization of an inverse process does not mean the time of the system goes backward. 2) The principles of relativity and covariance are the constraints to physical laws, but not constraints to specific solutions. The equations must be covariant, but the solutions are not definitely symmetric. 3) Time is a global property of the universe, which is a measurement of the evolution process of the universe. The internal time of a matter system reflecting its internal evolution speed also takes this cosmic time as a unified background and standard of measurement. 4) The universe has a unified cosmic time T and a cosmic space related to this cosmic time. They are objective and absolute. 5) The eigensolution of a spinor is a critical state losing time concept, which responses the interaction of environment with some uncertainty, then the evolution process of the world is not uniquely determined. 6) The non-uniqueness of the evolution process means that the inverse process is absent. So for a world including spinors, the evolution is essentially irreversible. In this paper, according to the widely accepted principles and direct calculations of transformation, we reveal the misunderstandings in the usual controversy, and then give more natural and reasonable explanations for structure of space-time and arrow of time.In fundamental theories of physics, the dynamical equations all have time inversion invariance. Except for the evolution of some simple system which has realistic inverse processes, but for a slightly more complicated system, the evolution processes are irreversible. This is the problem of arrow of time, which is always warmly debated. In different point of view, we find there may have some conceptual misunderstanding in the controversy: 1) The realization of an inverse process does not mean the time of the system goes backward. 2) The principles of relativity and covariance are the constraints to physical laws, but not constraints to specific solutions. The equations must be covariant, but the solutions are not definitely symmetric. 3) Time is a global property of the universe, which is a measurement of the evolution process of the universe. The internal time of a matter system reflecting its internal evolution speed also takes this cosmic time as a unified background and standard of measurement. 4) The universe has a unified cosmic time T and a cosmic space related to this cosmic time. They are objective and absolute. 5) The eigensolution of a spinor is a critical state losing time concept, which responses the interaction of environment with some uncertainty, then the evolution process of the world is not uniquely determined. 6) The non-uniqueness of the evolution process means that the inverse process is absent. So for a world including spinors, the evolution is essentially irreversible. In this paper, according to the widely accepted principles and direct calculations of transformation, we reveal the misunderstandings in the usual controversy, and then give more natural and reasonable explanations for structure of space-time and arrow of time.

关 键 词：ARROW of Time Invariance The Principle of RELATIVITY QUATERNION STRUCTURE of SPACE-TIME SIMULTANEITY 

分 类 号：O1[理学—数学]