The quantum-interpretations tag has no wiki summary.
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How would a realist interpretation of the Mermin-Peres square look like?
How would a realist interpretation of the Mermin-Peres square with counterfactual definiteness and the existence of states prior to measurements look like?
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Is the classical world an illusion?
In the paper
Zeh, H. D. The Wave Function: It or Bit? In Science and Ultimate Reality, eds. J.D. Barrow, P.C.W. Davies, and C.L. Harper Jr. (Cambridge University Press, 2004), pp. 103-120. ...
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If nothing is “objectively real” prior to “measurement”, what exactly is a “measurement”?
If nothing is "objectively real" prior to "measurement", what exactly is a "measurement"?
Is there any "objective" criteria to demarcate a process as being a "measurement" or not? If "measurements" ...
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2answers
166 views
Are probability-preserving variations of QT with respect to the Born rule mathematically possible?
Is it possible to create (m)any theoretically workable framework(s) - that do(es) produce probabilities - by taking QM and replacing the Born(-like) rule(s) with something that is not equivalent to it ...
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1answer
129 views
Who are “we”, and what counts as a “question” in consistent histories?
If the preferred basis in quantum mechanics and/or choice of consistent histories in consistent histories is arbitrary, and can only be determined by the "questions we ask", just who exactly is this ...
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212 views
Quantum superposition and fate
First of all, sorry for my knowledge of physics. Maybe my question is too obvious but I want to ask it.
I am thinking about fate and if it exist or no.
According to my assumption if I take any ...
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1answer
322 views
Bohmian loophole in PBR-like theorems
I'm reviving and expanding this question, because of the new paper today, by Aaronson et al. The more general question is:
How does quantum-potential Bohmian mechanics relate to no-go theorems for ...
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682 views
Connection between quantum physics and consciousness
Can someone explain the quantum physics-consciousness connection? In the double slit or quantum eraser experiments, the system behaves as a whole, with some apparent time independent traits. Invoking ...
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According to wave function collapse you only have one outcome, so what happens to the other superpositions?
If the superpositions of a wave function are not needed because only one of the superpositions is allowed, what happens to the eigenvalues of the "null" superpositions?
Is the energy transferred ...
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2answers
208 views
Weak measurements rule out Many Worlds Interpretation?
I came across a paper that claims to prove that the Many Worlds interpretation is invalid by applying weak measurements.
The paper can be found here: ...
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3answers
389 views
How does Bell's theorem rule out the possibility of local hidden variables?
It seems to be common consensus that the world is non-deterministic and this is proved by Bell's theorem.
But even though Bell's experiments proved that the theory of quantum mechanics work, How does ...
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Residues in QFT propagator
It is a well known fact that the location of the pole of a propagator (in QFT) can be interpreted as the physical mass.
Is there an interpretation for the residue of the propagator?
Note: I´m ...
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Interpretation of $e|\psi|^2$ as electron density
In solid state physics the electron density is often equated to $e|\psi|^2$. However, the Sakurai says (Chapter 2.4, Interpretation of the Wave Function, p. 101) that adopting such a view leads "to ...
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117 views
A foundational question about entanglement
The recent Nature article
http://www.nature.com/news/data-teleportation-the-quantum-space-race-1.11958
prompts me to ask this question, which is of the same tenor as that asked at the recent Perimeter ...
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1answer
101 views
What is the spatial mode of light or the spatial mode of a massive particle?
I'm extremely confused by what physicists mean by the spatial mode of light. I am also equally if not more confused by what the spatial mode of a massive particle is. Can anyone help me out by ...
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1answer
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Temporal part of Quantum Wavefunction
I was hoping that someone could give me the more fundamental reason that we take as the temporal part of a quantum wavefunction the function $e^{-i\omega t}$ and not $e^{+i\omega t}$? Clearly ...
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Canonical Commutation Relations
Is it logically sound to accept the canonical commutation relation (CCR)
$$[x,p]~=~i\hbar$$
as a postulate of quantum mechanics? Or is it more correct to derive it given some form for $p$ in the ...
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203 views
How do we know particles exist? Aren't they just waves?
In the book "A Briefer History of Time" Stephen Hawking wrote:
The unpredictable, random element comes in only when we try to
interpret the wave in terms of the positions and velocities of
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1answer
120 views
Who are some prominent groups or individuals pursuing realist physics? [closed]
I'm interested to know of any well-known physics schools or individuals attempting to advance fundamental physics or reinterpret it from a realist standpoint.
Presumably most physicists by contrast ...
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How to explain Tsirelson's inequality using extended probabilities?
How to explain Tsirelson's inequality using extended probabilities?
Some people have tried explaining the Bell inequalities using extended probabilities.
For instance, a pair of entangled photons ...
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2answers
215 views
What is the physical interpretation of the density matrix in a double continuous basis $|\alpha\rangle$, $|\beta\rangle$?
(a) Any textbook gives the interpretation of the density matrix in a single continuous basis $|\alpha\rangle$:
The diagonal elements $\rho(\alpha, \alpha) = \langle \alpha |\hat{\rho}| \alpha ...
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4answers
191 views
Wave/particle duality
Apologies if this has been asked before (I did check and I believe it wasn't). I have a question about the particle/wave duality of photons (or other particles). Depending on what and how we measure ...
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What constitutes an observation/measurement in QM?
Fundamental notions of QM have to do with observation, a major example being The Uncertainty Principle.
What is the technical definition of an observation/measurement?
If I look at a QM system, it ...
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Many-worlds: Where does the energy come from?
With regard to the theory that each time a wave function collapses the universe splits so that each possible outcome really exists - where does all the energy required to create all the new universes ...
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Is the statistical interpretation of Quantum Mechanics dead?
I'm sure this question is a bit gauche for this site, but I'm just a mathematician trying to piece together some physical intuition.
*Question:*Is the statistical interpretation of Quantum ...
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Does the nonlocality of the preferred basis mean QM is nonlocal?
Take the Mach-Zehnder interferometer as an example. A photon passes through a beam splitter, is reflected off mirrors, and interferes with itself at another half-silvered mirror. No measurements or ...
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Is quasiclassicality in consistent histories the preferred basis problem in disguise?
Is quasiclassicality in consistent histories the preferred basis problem in disguise? Out of the numerous possible consistent realms in consistent histories — with no canonical choice — ...
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1answer
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Exhaustive nature of parallel universe [closed]
We know that according to the infinite parallel universe theory there is a different universe for any event possible event. Now I was wondering if all those universes form an exhaustive set. In other ...
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759 views
Maxim Raykin's “solution to the measurement problem” using infinitely many derivatives
Recently I was made aware of the following arXiv preprint by Maxim Raykin: Analytical Quantum Dynamics in Infinite Phase Space. As far as I understand it, Raykin's idea is to reinterpret quantum ...
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245 views
Are probabilities really tangible physical real numbers?
Probabilities are usually considered to be a real number between 0 and 1. A real number has an infinite decimal expansion. Are probabilities really real numbers? Is the infinite decimal expansion ...
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4answers
316 views
Is there any quantum interpretation which isn't “crazy” at all? [closed]
Is there any quantum interpretation which isn't "crazy" at all? Exponentially many parallel worlds in MWI, superdeterministic conspiracies, and/or nonlocality in hidden variables, idealism and the ...
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3answers
574 views
Is it possible that QM is just GR?
The more I learn about General Relativity, the more it seems like it isn't fully understood. It seems that before it's full consequences were exhaustively understood, not 10 years after its discovery, ...
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In Copenhagen, can this idea preserve locality for Bell inequalities?
Generate an entangled pair of qubits. Send to Alice and Bob far away from each other. Both measure along basis in one of two possible orientations. The result is sent to Charlie at some later time, ...
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Does quantum fingerprinting really argue for the exponential size of wavefunctions?
Does quantum fingerprinting really argue for the exponential size of wavefunctions? Quantum fingerprinting is the idea that an exponentially long classical string can be encoded in a linear number of ...
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110 views
Does the inability to postselect to a given branch argue against MWI?
It has been argued the exponential size of the wavefunction can be interpreted as many parallel worlds, and this explains how quantum computers can factor large integers and compute discrete ...
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1answer
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Are the limits to prediction by QM provable?
Quantum mechanics states that only two aspects of a quantum system can be predicted with certainty: 1) the average and 2) the standard deviation of many measurements of identically prepared quantum ...
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359 views
What is the difference between parallel universe and multiverse?
What is the difference between parallel universe and multiverse? Is it parallel universe or universes?
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319 views
Shor's algorithm and Bohmian Mechanics
Do quantum computer's tell us anything about the foundations of quantum theory? In particular Shor argued in the famous thread by 't Hooft
Why do people categorically dismiss some simple quantum ...
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Is it possible to reproduce the energy spectrum of quantum chaos using classical cellular automata?
Is it possible to reproduce the energy spectrum of quantum chaos using classical cellular automata? It's hardly impressive to reproduce harmonic oscillators.
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What criteria distinguishes causality from retrocausality?
The brilliant philosopher David Hume remarked that if two events are always found to be correlated to each other with one event happening prior to the other, we call the earlier event the cause and ...
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Why is the tunnel effect of solid matter not observable in macroscopic objects?
Assume I place a tea cup on a table (say, about a centimetre thick). Quantum mechanics tells us that the wave function for the nuclei and electrons of the cup is not zero below the table (while being ...
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Can superdeterminism resolve contextuality, entanglement and Shor's algorithm in quantum mechanics?
Superdeterminism is the idea that the apparent freedom for the choice of experimental apparatuses and their settings are nothing but an illusion. Contextuality is the dependence of the properties of a ...
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Which subject matter for those experiment is on that help Bohr win over the Einstein-Bohr debate? [closed]
Which subject matter for those experiment is on that help Bohr win over the Einstein-Bohr debate?
List the name of those experiment and categorize them by subject please, if time is available please ...
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1answer
157 views
EPR paradox and uncertainty principle
In Wikipedia article EPR paradox,
The original paper purports to describe what must happen to "two systems I and II, which we permit to interact ...", and, after some time, "we suppose that there ...
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1answer
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On Bell's Inequality (Classical Intuition) and Quantum Mechanical Counter Intuition
This posting is directly related to the issue in The System and the Measuring Gadget.
The QM expectation is given by:
$$\langle\sigma_{1}.\vec{a}{\;}\sigma_{2}.\vec b\rangle=-\vec a.\vec b$$
In the ...
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What is the physical meaning of weak expectation values?
In the two-state formalism of Yakir Aharanov, the weak expectation value of an operator $A$ is $\frac{\langle \chi | A | \psi \rangle}{\langle \chi | \psi \rangle}$. This can have bizarre properties. ...
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4answers
148 views
What counts as an observer and memory states in quantum interpretations?
The Everett interpretation has memory robots. Copenhagen requires observer memory states. Consistent histories has its IGUSes. Decoherence has its existential interpretation. All of them refer to ...
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What role does memory robots play in the many worlds interpretation?
Ron Maimon gave a very interesting answer to a question about the many worlds interpretation here. He mentions the essential role of memory robots in MWI, which is something I have never ever heard ...
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What is the splitting structure of a state in thermal equilibrium in MWI?
What is the splitting structure of a state in thermal equilibrium in the many worlds interpretation? This is a mixed state, but we can perform a purification of it by doubling the system and forming a ...
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Question regarding the Bohm interpretation
I tryed to understand the Bohm interpretation and this is what picture appeared to me.
Please tell me if I understood something incorrectly.
All particles have definite positions and follow ...
