Hi folks!
It is well known that the apparent stochasticity of turbulent processes stems from the extreme sensitivity of the DETERMINISTIC underlying differential equations to very small changes in the initial and boundary conditions human beings aren't able to measure.
Given our limitations, for the same measured conditions, a deterministic turbulent flow can thus display a wide array of different behaviours.
Can QUANTUM MECHANICAL random fluctuations also change the initial and boundary conditions in such a way that the turbulent flow would behave in a different manner?
In other words, if we assume that quantum mechanics is genuinely indetermistic, can it propagate that "true" randomness towards (some) turbulent processes and flows?
Or would decoherence hinder this from happening?
I wasn't able to find any peer-reviewed papers on this.
Many thanks for your answers!
The randomness of quantum fluctutations is more like that of thermodynamics at a temperature equal to Planck’s constant, than that of detrrministic chaos.And the probability distributions of quantities in quantum mechanics are symmetric about their average values-which are, therefore, typical values-like in thermodynamics and in contrast to deterministic chaos.
The classical limit of quantum systems is integrable-how to obtain deterministically chaotic systems as classical limits of quantum systems isn’t known. There are some hints by studying the spectrum of random matrices.
Howdy Marc Fischer,
I applaud your clear statement that "random" and "stochastic" are terms to be applied to human perceptions and efforts, since the underlying dynamics of fluids in turbulence is deterministic. Very rare observation, very welcome! (The fluid knows.)
As far as "quantum mechanics is genuinely indetermistic," some of us think the jury is still out on that because your comments on turbulence apply to human limitations, including ignorance, there also.
Given the experience of "QUANTUM MECHANICAL random fluctuations" by turbulent processes that is possible, I doubt that they could affect the state of the turbulence as having too little energy. "Random" absorption of a photon by a molecule that enhanced the molecule's internal energy would have an effect, of course, by increasing the thermal-motion energy of the fluid, but I doubt it could be noticed in turbulence, even by the flow being triggered to new behavior. This affect is very different from application of human precision in initial conditions that enters mathematical expressions with such strong leverage because of the mathematical non-linearity.
I also applaud the association you have made as one of the ways to trigger insight, but too often the answer in a specific case is no.
Happy Trails, Len
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Mathematics