E. Schr\"odinger's 1931 paper "On the Reversal of the Laws of Nature" ["\"Uber die Umkehrung der Naturgesetze",Sitzungsberichte der preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, physikalische mathematische Klasse, 8 N9 144-153]

TL;DR

Schr"odinger's 1931 paper explores the concept of time reversal in diffusion processes, influencing later developments in stochastic processes, quantum mechanics, and statistical physics.

Contribution

This paper provides an English translation and analysis of Schr"odinger's pioneering ideas on time reversal, which inspired subsequent research in stochastic and quantum physics.

Findings

Influenced Bernstein's reciprocal processes

Inspired Kolmogorov's work on Markov processes

Contributed to probabilistic interpretations of quantum mechanics

Abstract

We present an English translation of Erwin Schr\"odinger's paper on "On the Reversal of the Laws of Nature". In this paper Schr\"odinger analyses the idea of time reversal of a diffusion process. Schr\"odinger's paper acted as a prominent source of inspiration for the works of Bernstein on reciprocal processes and of Kolmogorov on time reversal properties of Markov processes and detailed balance. The ideas outlined by Schr\"odinger also inspired the development of probabilistic interpretations of quantum mechanics by F\'enyes, Nelson and others as well as the notion of "Euclidean Quantum Mechanics" as probabilistic analogue of quantization. In the second part of the paper Schr\"odinger discusses the relation between time reversal and statistical laws of physics. We emphasize in our commentary the relevance of Schr\"odinger's intuitions for contemporary developments in statistical nano-physics.