Nature of time and causality in Physics

Abstract: The conceptual definition and understanding of the nature of time, both qualitatively and quantitatively is of the utmost difficulty and importance, and plays a fundamental role in physics. Physical systems seem to evolve in paths of increasing entropy and of complexity, and thus, the arrow of time shall be explored in the context of thermodynamic irreversibility and quantum physics. In Newtonian physics, time flows at a constant rate, the same for all observers; however, it necessarily flows at different rates for different observers in special and general relativity. Special relativity provides important quantitative elucidations of the fundamental processes related to time dilation effects, and general relativity provides a deep analysis to effects of time flow, such as in the presence of gravitational fields. Through the special theory of relativity, time became intimately related with space, giving rise to the notion of spacetime, in which both parameters cannot be considered as separate entities. As time is incorporated into the proper structure of the fabric of spacetime, it is interesting to note that general relativity is contaminated with non-trivial geometries that generate closed timelike curves, and thus apparently violates causality. The notion of causality is fundamental in the construction of physical theories; therefore time travel and its associated paradoxes have to be treated with great caution. These issues are briefly analyzed in this review paper.