Abstract
We show that the evidence for a local arrow of time, which is equivalent to the entropy production in thermodynamic systems, can be decomposed. In a system with many degrees of freedom, there is a term that arises from the irreversible dynamics of the individual variables, and then a series of non-negative terms contributed by correlations among pairs, triplets, and higher-order combinations of variables. We illustrate this decomposition on simple models of noisy logical computations, and then apply it to the analysis of patterns of neural activity in the retina as it responds to complex dynamic visual scenes. We find that neural activity breaks detailed balance even when the visual inputs do not, and that this irreversibility arises primarily from interactions between pairs of neurons.
- Received 8 March 2022
- Revised 3 June 2022
- Accepted 24 June 2022
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.118101
© 2022 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Viewpoint
Decomposing the Local Arrow of Time in the Brain
Published 6 September 2022
Researchers have developed a way to quantitatively evaluate irreversibility in complex networks.
See more in Physics