Erik Curiel: Energy, entropy and the intimate relations between the two in semi-classical gravity 

Geneva, 15 March 2023
Abstract: The relationship between energy and entropy in classical thermodynamics is a close one. They are, nonetheless, conceptually and physically distinguished, with regard to their intrinsic properties, their relations to other physical quantities and their roles in dynamics and governing general principles. In general relativity, their relations become closer. Several theoretical results and considerations in semi-classical gravity, however, suggest that, when one takes account of quantum effects in strong gravitational fields, they develop a much more intimate relationship. I review several of those results and discuss the role that energy conditions and entropy conditions play in them, attempting to tease out the ways that energy and entropy seem to share more of the same properties, play more of the same roles, than in classical thermodynamics or general relativity. I conclude by speculating on why this may be, what a more intimate relationship between them may look like in this framework, and what it may suggest for our understanding of semi-classical gravity and possibly even for some approaches to quantum gravity.
In terms of technical difficulty, this talk rates 4/5 Einsteins.