Question

Electromagnetic radiation phenomena exhibit a temporal asymmetry: we observe radiation coherently diverging from a radiating source, such the light emitted by a star, but we do not observe radiation coherently converging into a source, unless we delicately set up such a system. What can explain this asymmetry? And how is the asymmetry related to the causal asymmetry, on the one hand, and the thermodynamic asymmetry, on the other?

Answer 1

The temporal asymmetry in electromagnetic radiation can be explained by particle-wave duality. This is related to causal and thermodynamic asymmetry.

Step-by-step explanation:

The temporal asymmetry observed in electromagnetic radiation phenomena can be explained by the concept of particle-wave duality. EM radiation exhibits properties of both particles and waves, but our observations usually yield either particle-like or wave-like properties, but never both simultaneously.

This asymmetry is related to the causal asymmetry because the radiation from a source is causally connected to the source, whereas radiation converging into a source would violate the arrow of time.

Additionally, the thermodynamic asymmetry is related to the fact that electromagnetic radiation tends to disperse and spread out, reflecting the second law of thermodynamics which states that entropy tends to increase in a system.