The Road to Maxwell's Demon

Statistical mechanics is central to modern physics, yet it fails in its main task of accounting for the time asymmetry of our experience. It does not explain why milk easily mixes with coffee and even implies that un-mixing them should be just as easy. In this book the authors develop a new conceptual foundation for statistical mechanics which addresses this difficulty. Explaining the notions of macrostates, probability, measurement, memory and the arrow of time in statistical mechanics, they reach the startling conclusion that Maxwell's Demon, the famous perpetuum mobile, is consistent with the fundamental physical laws. Mathematical treatments are avoided where possible and instead the authors use novel diagrams to illustrate the text. This is a fascinating book for graduate students and researchers interested in the foundations and philosophy of physics.