The quantum-interpretations tag has no wiki summary.
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M-theory and many-worlds interpretation
I am getting some confusion on whether M-theory accepts many-worlds interpretation. Can anyone show me the reasons or rebuttals for the possibility of the many-worlds interpretation in M-theory? ...
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8answers
718 views
Is the quantum analog of a probability distribution the wave function or the density matrix?
Classically, probability distributions are nonnegative real measures over the space of all possible outcomes which add up to 1. What they mean is open to debate between Bayesians, frequentists and ...
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4answers
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Quantum Physics and the Law of Large Numbers
On page 1 of this recent paper by Bousso and Susskind we read.
This question is not about philosophy.
Without a precise form of decoherence,
one cannot claim that anything really
"happened", ...
2
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4answers
228 views
Are Everettian branchings global or local?
Everett's theory of quantum mechanics is about the wavefunction of the whole universe holistically. If a branching occurs very far away at the Andromeda galaxy, do I also branch? Are branchings global ...
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4answers
659 views
Why is Gleason's Theorem not enough to obtain Born Rule in Many Worlds Interpretation?
The Many Worlds interpretation suffer from at least 2 "wounds", the preferred basis issue and perhaps the most notorious probability issue.
How do you make sense of probability in a model where ...
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1answer
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Can God collapse the wavefunction? [closed]
This is a semi-theological question which I hope isn't out of place in this forum.
The Copenhagen interpretation requires observers to collapse the wavefunction. Certainly, the question of whether or ...
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0answers
265 views
Is there any relation between quantum mechanics and human subconscious mind? [closed]
I came across so many articles, books and blogs that there is connection between our subconscious mind and quantum mechanics. Quantum theory tell about relation between two electrons irrespective of ...
2
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2answers
211 views
Is there a manifestly Lorentz invariant formulation of the many worlds interpretation?
First, I give an absurd example.
A conscious observer lives on Earth at time t. A light-year away, at a space-like separation, a nuclear bomb chain reaction goes off. A nuclear bomb chain reaction is ...
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0answers
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Identifying fragments when there is a superposition of fragments in quantum Darwinism
In Zurek's theory of quantum Darwinism, information about the pointer states of a system imprint themselves upon fragments of the environment carrying records about the state of the system. ...
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3answers
202 views
Is energy conserved in decay of hydrogen atom in superposed state?
This looks like a paradox.
Let's say we have an hydrogen atom. Superposition of states could be possible for electrons. But if an electron is in a superposition, I guess it could decay into a lower ...
2
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4answers
252 views
Why should the observed probability distributions in quantum mechanics always align with the pointer basis of decoherence?
It has always been claimed decoherence solves the problem of the preferred-basis for observed probability distributions, but why should this be the case? If there is only one world, and there are ...
2
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3answers
442 views
Defining Measurement in Quantum Mechanics
I should begin by saying that I am a total newbie when it comes to Quantum Mechanics. Therefore my question might sound metaphysical to people who know their stuff. So please forgive.
What I am ...
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3answers
437 views
What are specific arguments against the ensemble interpretation (as promoted by L. Ballentine)?
Leslie Ballentine develops in QM: A Modern Development an interpretation based on the ensemble interpretation, and responds to most criticisms.
My question: what criticisms still exist against this ...
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5answers
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Consequences of the new theorem in QM?
It seems there is a new theorem that changes the rules of the game in the interpretational debate on QM:
http://www.nature.com/news/quantum-theorem-shakes-foundations-1.9392
Does this only leave ...
3
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3answers
383 views
If the multiverse and many-worlds don't exist, how should we interpret probabilities?
If the multiverse of eternal inflation and the many-worlds of quantum mechanics don't exist, how should we interpret the meaning of probabilities? If there is only one copy of the universe out there, ...
3
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2answers
950 views
What is the meaning of Wheeler's delayed choice experiment?
Wheeler's delayed choice experiment is a variant of the classic double slit experiment for photons in which the detecting screen may or may not be removed after the photons had passed through the ...
0
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1answer
80 views
What are the relative ontic statuses of path integrals and wave functions? [closed]
Feynman path integrals and Schrodinger wave functions are calculationally equivalent. Any calculation of a physical measurable quantity will have to match in both cases if done right. This does not ...
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0answers
91 views
If the wave function is subjective, who or what is having the beliefs? [closed]
Some people claim the wave function is subjective, and is the quantum Bayesian measure of subjective belief. This begs the question; who or what is the self having the beliefs? What are beliefs ...
5
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1answer
497 views
What is the meaning of the Fourier transform of Feynman propagator?
I know $K(a,b,t)$ is the probability amplitude of find a particle that starts at point a in b in a time t later. There is also an expression that sometimes is called green function:
...
3
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1answer
443 views
Does this new quantum experiment rule out the possibility of a many-worlds interpretation?
This brand new published result (nature):
Experimental non-classicality of an indivisible quantum system by
Radek Lapkiewicz, Peizhe Li, Christoph Schaeff, Nathan K. Langford, Sven ...
2
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0answers
63 views
Complementarity between the laws of physics? [closed]
Is this following proposal plausible, worth considering, or dismissable as lunatic fringe science?
What if the universe isn't really what we think it is but some universal quantum computer where we ...
3
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0answers
258 views
Does the extended probability ensemble interpretation of quantum mechanics make any sense?
Gell-Mann and Hartle came up with the extended probability ensemble interpretation over here.
Basically, they extended probability theory to include real numbers which may be negative or greater than ...
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2answers
987 views
Is the “consistent histories” interpretation of QM a “many worlds interpretation” in disguise?
The so called consistent histories interpretation is claimed to be a correction of the Copenhagen Interpretation. One of its aim, as much as I can see is to show that observers don't have any special ...
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0answers
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Can events unhappen for a conscious program on a reversible quantum computer? [closed]
Some time far into the future, humans have made the technology breakthroughs to construct decoherence-proof reversible quantum computers with quantum fault tolerance. They have also solved the hard AI ...
5
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1answer
220 views
Uniqueness of quasiclassical consistent histories
The current zeitgeist here is on interpretations of quantum mechanics, so let me add my own two cents here. As you may know, consistent histories is an alternative interpretation proposed in a series ...
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2answers
343 views
Consciousness and quantum mechanics [closed]
Quantum mechanics is very mysterious. Consciousness is often brought into play to explain quantum phenomena. Is this only a matter of convenience, or is consciousness inherent to interpreting quantum ...
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7answers
2k views
Why do people still talk about bohmian mechanics/hidden variables [closed]
I was reading the Feynman lectures in physics and after thinking about it for a while it seems particularly unreasonable to talk about hidden variables. Let us say that the electron has some internal ...
5
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2answers
377 views
What happens when particle-antiparticle pairs annihilate in MWI?
The many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics is built around a configuration space, where the position of a particle is three components of the position of that universe.
What happens with ...
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2answers
659 views
How much is quantum computation changing the interpretation of quantum theory, and, if at all, how?
At the beginning of quantum computation, David Deutsch made a strong claim that the Many Worlds interpretation of quantum theory was at the foundation of his ability to do what he did. There was a lot ...
6
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3answers
319 views
Is it possible to define a “it went through two slits” observable?
This concerns the famous two-slit experiment. Electrons or photons or your favorite particle, doesn't matter. As we all know, the attempt to detect which slit the quanta pass through leads to loss ...
2
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3answers
234 views
What's the worst thing about the tomographic approach to QM?
I saw a paper on arXiv that referenced this approach to an ontology of QM:
Phys.Lett. A213 (1996) 1, S. Mancini, V. I. Man'ko, P.Tombesi Symplectic tomography as classical approach to quantum ...
