Time and Causality: A Thermocontextual Perspective.

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Thermodynamics
• Quantum Mechanics

Background:

• Prevailing physical interpretations face paradoxes like determinism vs. time symmetry.
• Existing models struggle to explain wavefunction collapse irreversibility and reconcile nonlocality with relativistic causality.
• Current interpretations rely on classical mechanics, absolute zero, or equilibrium references, neglecting thermodynamic irreversibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce the thermocontextual interpretation (TCI) as an alternative to existing physical state and time interpretations.
• Provide a framework that resolves paradoxes inherent in classical and quantum mechanics.
• Offer a physically grounded explanation for nonlocality consistent with relativistic causality.

Main Methods:

• Define a system's state relative to its ambient temperature and surroundings.
• Distinguish between a system's internal time (mechanical and thermodynamic) and external reference time.
• Reframe classical and quantum states as special cases within a broader thermodynamic context.

Main Results:

• The TCI integrates thermodynamic irreversibility and randomness into the understanding of physical states.
• It reconciles nonlocality with relativistic causality without hidden variables or superdeterminism.
• System time is defined as a complex property encompassing both reversible mechanical and irreversible thermodynamic time.

Conclusions:

• The TCI provides a unified and consistent interpretation of physical states and time.
• It resolves long-standing paradoxes in physics, including those related to causality, time symmetry, and nonlocality.
• This interpretation offers a physically grounded explanation for quantum phenomena and the arrow of time.