The equivalent emergence of time dependence in classical and quantum mechanics

Abstract

Beginning with the principle that a closed mechanical composite system is timeless, time can be defined by the regular changes in a suitable position coordinate (clock) in the observing part, when one part of the closed composite observes another part. Translating this scenario into both classical and quantum mechanics allows a transition to be made from a time-independent mechanics for the closed composite to a time-dependent description of the observed part alone. The use of Hamilton- Jacobi theory yields a very close parallel between the derivations in classical and quantum mechanics. The time-dependent equations, Hamilton-Jacobi or Schrodinger, appear as approximations since no observed system is truly closed. The quantum case has an additional feature in the condition that the observing environment must become classical in order to define a real classical time variable. This condition leads to a removal of entanglement engendered by the interaction between the observed system and the observing environment. Comparison is made to the similar emergence of time in quantum gravity theory

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