The Shannon-McMillan Theorem Proves Convergence to Equiprobability of Boltzmann's Microstates

Entropy (Basel). 2021 Jul 15;23(7):899. doi: 10.3390/e23070899.

Abstract

This paper shows that, for a large number of particles and for distinguishable and non-interacting identical particles, convergence to equiprobability of the W microstates of the famous Boltzmann-Planck entropy formula S = k log(W) is proved by the Shannon-McMillan theorem, a cornerstone of information theory. This result further strengthens the link between information theory and statistical mechanics.

Keywords: Boltzmann–Planck entropy formula; Shannon–McMillan theorem; equiprobability of microstates.