Eugene Yew Siang Chua
Biographic Data
| ID | 5969941 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Eugene Yew Siang Chua |
| GIVEN NAMES | Eugene Yew Siang |
| FAMILY NAME | Chua |
| SIGNATURE | CHUA E Y S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of California San Diego |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3169-7563 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 9 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 3 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 9 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2021 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
The Time in Thermal Time
Looking for Work in Quantum Thermodynamics
This paper diagnoses a much-discussed problem in quantum thermodynamics, that of generalizing classical work into the quantum domain. I begin with the no-go theorem of Perarnau-Llobet et al (2017): no universal measurement scheme for quantum work satisfies two intuitive, classically consilient desiderata. I assess this incompatibility as stemming from the measurement problem. Decoherence restores compatibility for all practical purposes, but rais…
De-idealizing De-idealization
There is a question of whether de-idealization is needed for justified use of -- for 'checking' -- idealizations. We argue that the standard philosophical account of de-idealization has become too idealized, but that this does not preclude the possibility of justificatory practices which show how models can be used to make inferences about the world. In turn, motivated by examples in physics, we provide a more expansive and practice-driven accoun…
The problem of atypicality in LLM-powered psychiatry
Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly proposed as scalable solutions to the global mental health crisis. But their deployment in psychiatric contexts raises a distinctive ethical concern: the problem of atypicality. Because LLMs generate outputs based on population-level statistical regularities, their responses—while typically appropriate for general users—may be dangerously inappropriate when interpreted by psychiatric patients, who oft…
Decoherence, branching, and the Born rule in a mixed-state Everettian multiverse
In Everettian quantum mechanics, justifications for the Born rule appeal to self-locating uncertainty or decision theory. Such justifications have focused exclusively on a pure-state Everettian multiverse, represented by a wavefunction. Recent works in quantum foundations suggest that it is viable to consider a mixed-state Everettian multiverse, represented by a (mixed-state) density matrix. Here, we discuss the conceptual foundations for decoher…
The Toll of the Tolman Effect
The Tolman effect is well-known in relativistic cosmology but rarely discussed outside it. That is surprising because the effect -- that systems extended over a varying gravitational potential exhibit temperature gradients while in thermal equilibrium -- conflicts with ordinary classical thermodynamics. In this paper we try to better understand this effect from a foundational perspective. We make five claims. First, as Tolman knew, it was Einstei…
T Falls Apart
I argue that the classical temperature concept falls apart in special relativity by examining four consilient procedures for establishing classical temperature: Carnot processes, thermometers, kinetic theory, and black-body radiation. I show that their relativistic counterparts demonstrate no such consilience. I suggest two interpretations for this situation: eliminativism akin to simultaneity , or pluralism akin to rotation
No Time for Time from No-Time
Programs in quantum gravity often claim that time emerges from fundamentally timeless physics. In the semiclassical time program, time arises only after approximations are taken. Here we ask what justifies taking these approximations and show that time seems to sneak in when answering this question. This raises the worry that the approach is either unjustified or circular in deriving time from no-time
Does von Neumann Entropy Correspond to Thermodynamic Entropy
Conventional wisdom holds that the von Neumann entropy corresponds to thermodynamic entropy, but Meir Hemmo and Orly Shenker have recently argued against this view by attacking von Neumann’s argument. I argue that Hemmo and Shenker’s arguments fail because of several misunderstandings about statistical-mechanical and thermodynamic domains of applicability, about the nature of mixed states, and about the role of approximations in physics. As a res…
T Falls Apart
I argue that the classical temperature concept falls apart in special relativity by examining four consilient procedures for establishing classical temperature: Carnot processes, thermometers, kinetic theory, and black-body radiation. I show that their relativistic counterparts demonstrate no such consilience. I suggest two interpretations for this situation: eliminativism akin to simultaneity , or pluralism akin to rotation
No Time for Time from No-Time
Programs in quantum gravity often claim that time emerges from fundamentally timeless physics. In the semiclassical time program, time arises only after approximations are taken. Here we ask what justifies taking these approximations and show that time seems to sneak in when answering this question. This raises the worry that the approach is either unjustified or circular in deriving time from no-time
No Time for Time from No-Time
Programs in quantum gravity often claim that time emerges from fundamentally timeless physics. In the semiclassical time program, time arises only after approximations are taken. Here we ask what justifies taking these approximations and show that time seems to sneak in when answering this question. This raises the worry that the approach is either unjustified or circular in deriving time from no-time
Does von Neumann Entropy Correspond to Thermodynamic Entropy
Conventional wisdom holds that the von Neumann entropy corresponds to thermodynamic entropy, but Meir Hemmo and Orly Shenker have recently argued against this view by attacking von Neumann’s argument. I argue that Hemmo and Shenker’s arguments fail because of several misunderstandings about statistical-mechanical and thermodynamic domains of applicability, about the nature of mixed states, and about the role of approximations in physics. As a res…
T Falls Apart
I argue that the classical temperature concept falls apart in special relativity by examining four consilient procedures for establishing classical temperature: Carnot processes, thermometers, kinetic theory, and black-body radiation. I show that their relativistic counterparts demonstrate no such consilience. I suggest two interpretations for this situation: eliminativism akin to simultaneity , or pluralism akin to rotation
The problem of atypicality in LLM-powered psychiatry
Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly proposed as scalable solutions to the global mental health crisis. But their deployment in psychiatric contexts raises a distinctive ethical concern: the problem of atypicality. Because LLMs generate outputs based on population-level statistical regularities, their responses—while typically appropriate for general users—may be dangerously inappropriate when interpreted by psychiatric patients, who oft…
Decoherence, branching, and the Born rule in a mixed-state Everettian multiverse
In Everettian quantum mechanics, justifications for the Born rule appeal to self-locating uncertainty or decision theory. Such justifications have focused exclusively on a pure-state Everettian multiverse, represented by a wavefunction. Recent works in quantum foundations suggest that it is viable to consider a mixed-state Everettian multiverse, represented by a (mixed-state) density matrix. Here, we discuss the conceptual foundations for decoher…
The Toll of the Tolman Effect
The Tolman effect is well-known in relativistic cosmology but rarely discussed outside it. That is surprising because the effect -- that systems extended over a varying gravitational potential exhibit temperature gradients while in thermal equilibrium -- conflicts with ordinary classical thermodynamics. In this paper we try to better understand this effect from a foundational perspective. We make five claims. First, as Tolman knew, it was Einstei…
The Time in Thermal Time
Looking for Work in Quantum Thermodynamics
This paper diagnoses a much-discussed problem in quantum thermodynamics, that of generalizing classical work into the quantum domain. I begin with the no-go theorem of Perarnau-Llobet et al (2017): no universal measurement scheme for quantum work satisfies two intuitive, classically consilient desiderata. I assess this incompatibility as stemming from the measurement problem. Decoherence restores compatibility for all practical purposes, but rais…
De-idealizing De-idealization
There is a question of whether de-idealization is needed for justified use of -- for 'checking' -- idealizations. We argue that the standard philosophical account of de-idealization has become too idealized, but that this does not preclude the possibility of justificatory practices which show how models can be used to make inferences about the world. In turn, motivated by examples in physics, we provide a more expansive and practice-driven accoun…
Physics (5 works) · Theoretical physics (5 works) · Epistemology (4 works) · Mathematics (4 works) · Philosophy (4 works) · Quantum (4 works) · Quantum Mechanics and Applications (4 works) · Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics (3 works) · Computer Science (3 works) · Cosmology and Gravitation Theories (3 works)