Comparative analysis of time irreversibility and amplitude irreversibility based on joint permutation

Although time irreversibility (TIR) and amplitude irreversibility (AIR) are relevant concepts for nonequilibrium analysis, their association has received little attention. This paper conducts a systematic comparative analysis of the relationship between TIR and AIR based on statistical descriptions and numerical simulations. To simplify the quantification of TIR and AIR, the amplitude permutation and global information of the associated vector are combined to produce a joint probability estimation. Chaotic logistic, Henon, and Lorenz series are generated to evaluate TIR and AIR according to surrogate theory, and the distributions of joint permutations for these model series are measured to compare the degree of TIR and AIR. The joint permutation TIR and AIR are then used to investigate nonequilibrium pathological features in epileptic electroencephalography data. Test results suggest that epileptic brain electrical activities, particular those during the onset of seizure, manifest higher nonequilibrium characteristics. According to the statistical definitions and targeted pairs of joint permutations in the chaotic model data, TIR and AIR are fundamentally different nonequilibrium descriptors from time- and amplitude-reversibility, respectively, and thus require different forms of numerical analysis. At the same time, TIR and AIR both provide measures for fluctuation theorems associated with nonequilibrium processes, and have similar probabilistic differences in the pairs of joint permutations and consistent outcomes when used to analyze both the model series and real-world signals. Overall, comparative analysis of TIR and AIR contributes to our understanding of nonequilibrium features and broadens the scope of quantitative nonequilibrium measures. Additionally, the construction of joint permutations contributes to the development of symbolic time series analysis.