The probability tag has no wiki summary.
2
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1answer
388 views
Transmission and reflection
What is the transmission amplitude of a wavefunction $\phi(x)=e^{ikx}(\tanh x -ik)$? I would have thought that it is $\tanh x -ik$ since this is the factor associated with the forward travelling ...
23
votes
11answers
828 views
Negative probabilities in quantum physics
Negative probabilities are naturally found in the Wigner function (both the original one and its discrete variants), the Klein paradox (where it is an artifact of using a one-particle theory) and the ...
2
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3answers
253 views
Probability and probability amplitude
The equation:
$$P = |A|^2$$
appears in many books and lectures, where $P$ is a "probability" and $A$ is an "amplitude" or "probability amplitude". What led physicists to believe that the square of ...
8
votes
1answer
442 views
The measure problem in the anthropic principle
The anthropic principle is based upon Bayesian reasoning applied to the ensemble of universes, or parts thereof, conditioned upon the existence of conscious observers. That still leaves us with the ...
5
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4answers
1k views
Infinite universe - Jumping to pointless conclusions
I watched an episode of thee BBC Horizon series titled 'To infinity and beyond'.
In this program a number of respected physicists and mathematicians were talking about the nature of infinity and an ...
1
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0answers
54 views
Equivalence of simple formulations of qubit entanglement
I'm reading some very elementary treatments of quantum computation and am unsure about the correspondence among "definitions" of qubit entanglement.
One definition states that (1) the bits of a ...
1
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0answers
171 views
Probability and probability amplitude
What made scientists believe that we should calculate probability $P$ as the $P = \left|\psi\right|^2$ in quantum mechanics? Was it the double slit experiment? How? Is there anywhere in the ...
1
vote
1answer
233 views
an example of a quantum system for which wigner function transitions to negative values
I want to check my understanding of the Wigner transform and try to understand why and how exactly the probabilistic interpretation drops down as the function goes to zero and then to negative values
...
6
votes
1answer
358 views
't Hooft for laypersons
I have looked at some of 't Hooft's recent papers and, unfortunately, they are well beyond my current level of comprehension. The same holds for the discussions that took place on this website. (See, ...
6
votes
2answers
231 views
Mathematical probabilistic interepretation of probability amplitude
As a warning, I come from an "applied math" background with next to no knowledge of physics. That said, here's my question:
I'm looking at the possibility of using probability amplitude functions to ...
4
votes
1answer
143 views
Products of Gaussian stochastic process variables
In the classic experimental physics text "Statistical Theory of Signal Detection" by Carl. W. Helstrom, Chapter II, section 4 concerns Gaussian Stochastic Processes. Such a process is observed at ...
2
votes
1answer
82 views
Basic question about probability and measurements
Say I have a Galton box, i.e. a ball dropping on a row of solid bodies. Now I want to calculate the probability distribution of the movement of the ball based on the properties of the body (case A). ...
1
vote
1answer
128 views
Can someone explain probability flux in the tunneling boundary condition of Vilenkin?
This is what's leading to the notion of a quantum universe tunneling from nothing into existence, right? The idea is that probability flux flows out of superspace (configuration space) at ...
