Time Evolution of Open Nonequilibrium Systems and Irreversibility

Abstract

The foundation of the nonequilibrium statistical mechanics on the basis of dynamics was formulated by Bogoliubov in his seminal works. In this report we use his ideas of reduced description to analyze thoroughly the time evolution of open systems in the context of nonequilibrium statistical operator method. In particular, we consider the notion of entropy which is a central physical concept. The thermodynamic entropy, information entropy, entropy of nonequilibrium states and entropy production were discussed tightly in this context. The corresponding procedure of averaging (smoothing) and the notion of irreversibility were discussed as well.