Speaker: Péter Ván (Wigner FK RMI)
Title: Dissipative Physics?
Date: Friday, November 13, 2026, 2:00 PM
Place: Building 3, Council room
Abstract:
The fundamental laws of physics are idealized in almost every discipline. Technically, this means that we consider only evolution equations that are free of dissipation, reversible, and invariant under time reversal as fundamental, and use them to explain the world. The starting point of nonequilibrium thermodynamics, however, is a dissipative world in which ideality represents a special limiting case. A longstanding question is where the dissipative equations of motion in physics come from and how they can be derived. In this talk, I will briefly clarify the concepts outlined above, highlighting the problem that time reversal is not covariant. I will then argue that, in the real world, the laws of thermodynamics constitute stability requirements, and that their constructive application places significant constraints on idealized equations of motion as well. Finally, I will summarize the research strategy based on this approach and some of its implications, which we have explored so far in the context of Newton's laws of motion, Newtonian gravity, and quantum fluids, with particular emphasis on observational and experimental results.
