  In quantum statistical mechanics, equilibrium states have been shown to be
the typical states for a system that is entangled with its environment,
suggesting a possible identification between thermodynamic and von Neumann
entropies. In this paper, we investigate how the relaxation toward equilibrium
is made possible through interactions that do not lead to significant exchange
of energy, and argue for the validity of the second law of thermodynamics at
the microscopic scale.
