Thermodynamic Continuity and Quantum Principles

Abstract

A condensed survey is given of the results of a previous investigation on quantum concepts and principles developed from the anti-Gibbs postulate of thermodynamic continuity. The same postulate now also yields major parts of quantum statistics, such as the equality of various occupation number sets without permutation of individual particles, not however the alternative “either Bose or Fermi statistics.” A distinction must be made between a coherent redistribution of particles without entropy change, and an incoherent redistribution leading to a new thermodynamic equilibrium. The latter is obtained from the former by a process of diffusion from separate level groups to a totality of levels.