Characterizing Entropy in Statistical Physics and in Quantum Information Theory

Understand

A new axiomatic characterization with a minimum of conditions for entropy as a function on the set of states in quantum mechanics is presented.

• Traditionally unspoken assumptions are unveiled and replaced by proven consequences of the axioms.
• First the Boltzmann-Planck formula is derived.
• Building on this formula, using the Law of Large Numbers - a basic theorem of probability theory - the von Neumann formula is deduced.