Quantifying irreversibility via Bayesian subjectivity for classical and quantum linear maps
Phys. Rev. E 112, 054123 – Published 13 November, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/ym1y-7wcm
Abstract
In both classical and quantum physics, irreversible processes are described by maps that contract the space of states. The change in volume has often been taken as a natural quantifier of the amount of irreversibility. In Bayesian inference, loss of information results in the retrodiction for the initial state becoming increasingly influenced by the choice of reference prior. In this paper, we import this latter perspective into physics, by quantifying the irreversibility of any process with its Bayesian subjectivity—that is, the sensitivity of its retrodiction to one's prior. From this perspective, we review analytical and numerical results that highlight both intuitive and subtle insights that this measure sheds on irreversible processes.
