A combinatorial approach to time asymmetry (Q2412327)

Summary: In this paper, simple models for the multiverse are analyzed. Each universe is viewed as a path in a graph, and by considering very general statistical assumptions, essentially originating from Boltzmann, we can make the set of all such paths into a finite probability space. We can then also attempt to compute the probabilities for different kinds of behavior and in particular under certain conditions argue that an asymmetric behavior of the entropy should be much more probable than a symmetric one. This offers an explanation for the asymmetry of time as a broken symmetry in the multiverse. The focus here is on simple models which can be analyzed using methods from combinatorics. Although the computational difficulties rapidly become enormous when the size of the model grows, this still gives hints about how a full-scale model should behave.