Fundamental Irreversibility: Planckian or Schr\"odinger-Newton?

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential connection between Planck-scale irreversibility in quantum cosmology and Schrödinger-Newton-induced quantum state reduction, proposing they may be different manifestations of a fundamental irreversibility in the universe.

Contribution

It draws a conceptual parallel between gravity-related irreversibility at the Planck scale and quantum state reduction in the Schrödinger-Newton framework, suggesting a unified perspective.

Findings

Proposes a possible link between Planckian and Schrödinger-Newton irreversibilities.

Highlights the conceptual similarities and differences between the two approaches.

Raises the question of whether both irreversibilities are aspects of a single underlying phenomenon.

Abstract

The inception of a universal gravity-related irreversibility took place originally in quantum cosmology. The ultimate reason of universal irreversibility is thought to come from black holes close to the Planck scale. Completely different instances of irreversibilities are quantum state reductions unrelated to gravity or relativity but related to measurement devices. However, an intricate relationship between Newton gravity and quantized matter might result in fundamental and spontaneous quantum state reduction --- in the non-relativistic Schr\"odinger-Newton context. The above two concepts of fundamental irreversibility emerged and evolved with few or even no interactions. The purpose here is to draw a parallel between the two approaches first, and to ask rather than answer the question: can both the Planckian and the Schr\"odinger-Newton indeterminacies/irreversibilities be two faces of the same universe. A related personal note of the author's 1986 meeting with Aharonov and Bohm is appended.