The Philosophy of Open Quantum Systems

Standard quantum mechanics (QM) is formulated from the point of view of systems perfectly isolated from their environment. Most philosophical discussions begin from this basis. But while the closed-system point of view has yielded remarkable successes, it is nevertheless an idealisation as physical systems cannot in general be perfectly isolated. In this symposium we thus focus on issues related to open systems, e.g.: What are the implications for our understanding of QM of taking open systems as fundamental? What is the relevance of quantum information theory to this question? Which constraints are reasonable for the physical evolution of open systems? How does one's approach to open quantum systems affect one's view of quantum statistical mechanics and/or quantum thermodynamics?