From Quantum to Classical Physics: The Role of Distinguishability

TL;DR

This paper investigates the quantum-to-classical transition, challenging traditional views on object distinguishability, and highlights the importance of statistical distributions and chemical potential in understanding classical emergence.

Contribution

It offers a novel analysis of the quantum-classical boundary, emphasizing the roles of separability, distinguishability, and chemical potential in this transition.

Findings

Classical and quantum objects differ in separability and distinguishability.

Chemical potential is crucial in the emergence of classical behavior.

Permutation of classical object labels does not support their non-identity.

Abstract

The transition from quantum to classical statistics is studied in light of Huggett's finding that the empirical data do not support the usual claim that the distinction between classical and quantum objects consists in the capacity of classical objects to carry permutable labels as opposed to quantum objects. Since permutation of the labels of classical objects counts as a distinct configuration, this feature is usually taken as signifying that classical objects are not identical while quantum objects are. Huggett's finding threatens that characterization of the distinction between classical and quantum objects. The various statistical distributions are examined, and it is found that other distinctions, corresponding to separability and distinguishability, emerge in the classical limit. The role of the chemical potential (the rate of change of the Helmholtz free energy with particle number) is found to be of crucial significance in characterizing this emergence of classicality from the quantum distributions.