Questions tagged [bohmian-mechanics]
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125 questions
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Uncertainty of measurement in Bohmian mechanics
Let's have two non commuting operators $\hat A$ & $\hat B$ corresponding to the physical quantities $A$ & $B$. Also let's assume we are given a wave function $\Psi(\vec{r})$. Because $\hat A \...
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What is Configuration Space as described in Bohmian Mechanics?
Are the configuration spaces necessary in Bohmian mechanics simply a mathematical abstraction that is not directly related to any set of dimensions "classically" experienced? Can they be ...
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Confused in David Bohm's *Quantum Theory*
In discussing matrix mechanics Bohm says in chapter 16 of Quantum Theory that the $rm$ element of operator $A$, $a_{rm}$, is given by
$$a_{rm} = \int dx\ \psi^*_r(x)A\psi_m(x) \hspace{1in} (Eqn. ...
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What is the meaning of velocity in Bohmian trajectories?
Given a quantum particle of mass $m$ with state
$$\psi=\exp(ip_1 x/\hbar)+\exp(ip_2 x/\hbar)$$
all of their Bohmian trajectories have constant velocity $(p_1+p_2)/2$ However from the point of view of ...
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Bohmian mechanics, Leggett inequality, realism and nonlocality
Very often it is said that the Bell inequality has ruled out the possibility of hidden variables (HV) in QM. This is incorrect since Bell inequality has ruled out local hidden variables: nonlocal HV ...
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Can pilot wave theory explain the evolution and measurement of electron spin? [duplicate]
Pilot wave theory is usually employed to "explain away" the randomness of QM in the context of the motion of particles (the double slit experiment, scattering). However, what about other, ...
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In Bohmian Mechanics, are non-local influences travelling through a medium?
In Bohmian Mechanics, there is an explicit notion of non-locality where one measurement outcome affects the other in quantum entanglement.
In the theory, is this influence traveling through some ...
user401242
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Is there a name for Bohmian pilot wave theory with an ensemble of jockey particles?
In Bohmian QM, the wave function $\psi$ is moving a classical point particle around. Without effort, it could also move a large
ensemble of particles (since there is no back reaction).
Is there a name ...
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How does pilot wave theory explain non-zero momentum measurements? [closed]
The momentum of particles in pilot wave theory is dependent on the phase of the spatial wave function, which is 0 for stationary states. This means that electrons in all excited stationary states of a ...
user310742
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What interpretations are ruled out by the Kochen–Specker theorem?
What interpretations are ruled out by this theorem (such as superdeterminism, Bohmian mechanics, or ensemble interpretations) and does it function similarly to Bell's theorem as a 'no-go' theorem?
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Can Leggett-Garg inequality be used to falsify realist interpretations of quantum mechanics?
Can Leggett-Garg inequality be used to falsify superdeterminism, Bohmian mechanics and other realist interpretations of quantum mechanics?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leggett_inequality
https://en....
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Can the Aharonov-Bohm experiment also be described by conditional probablilties, like the simple double slit?
The most attractive description of the double slit experiment for me is that in Beltrametti and Cassinelli's book.$^{[1]}$ The essence of their description is the following.
Beltrametti-Cassinelli ...
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Are there testable predictions made by the Copenhagen interpretation that are incompatible with Pilot Wave or vice versa? [duplicate]
As of right now, whenever right now happens to be, has anyone identified any promising experiments capable of distinguishing between the Copenhagen interpretation and the Pilot Wave interpretation of ...
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Measurement of Position in Bohmian Mechanics
In many formulations of Bohmian mechanics, researchers seem to claim that 1) measurements of observables such as spin are just measurements of the position of a pointer variable, such as the Stern-...
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In the pilot wave model, why does the wave function depends on the set of particle?
In PWT, the wave function depends on the positions of all the particles. Therefore the velocity of a given particle depends of the positions of the other, it's why the theory is non local. In the ...
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Gravitational Waves and Pilot Wave Theory
If gravitational waves interfere with each other, and gravity is the warping of spacetime by the presence of matter, wouldn't thus waves cause the interference patterns seen in the double slit ...
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Why is the Bohm quantum potential considered a potential?
In Bohmian mechanics, the term $$\begin{equation}
Q = -\frac{\hbar^2}{2m}\frac{\nabla^2 R}{R}
\end{equation}$$
is regarded as the quantum potential term. However this is merely a term from the real ...
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Is Pilot Wave Theory contextual? How?
The Kochen Specker theorem says that hidden variable theories must be contextual. I'm not seeing anything in the definition of Bohmian mechanics that makes the hidden variable variable assignments ...
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Why is entanglement not explainable by pilot waves theory?
It has been demonstrated (physically and mathematically) that Bohmian mechanics (pilot waves) produce the same statistical results for the following phenomena:
Double slit banding
Tunneling ...
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How does pilot wave theory expain delayed choice quantum eraser experiment?
I have heard that pilot wave theory adequately explains all quantum phenomenon and is an alternative to the more mainstream Copenhagen interpretation.
We have an experiment called the delayed choice ...
user349763
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How does the Pusey-Barret-Rudolph (PBR) theorem not just disprove hidden variables?
In Quantum Mechanics, two different wavefunctions can have a non-zero probability of finding a particle at a position $x$.
According to hidden variable theories, if a particle is found at $x$, it was ...
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Why does the Pusey-Barrett-Rudolph (PBR) theorem focus on one-to-many relationships?
The PBR theorem says that one state of a hidden variable theory cannot correspond to multiple pure states of Quantum Mechanics.
But, wouldn't hidden variable theories be of a many-to-one nature anyway?...
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How does pilot wave theory explain "identical particle" interference?
Pilot wave theory says that there exist waves in 3D space which carry particles. This explains, say, the double slit experiment.
But this does not explain the behavior of identical particles. ...
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Can the pilot wave theory explain why the circumference of an orbit has to be an integer multiple of the wavelength of the electron orbiting it?
Consider the atomic model proposed by Bohr. The velocity of an electron at any orbit is given by the following equation:
$$v= n \dfrac{h}{2\pi mr}$$
Now, this equation stems from the fact that, quote, ...
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Is Bohmian mechanics an interpretation of quantum mechanics?
I don't understand why some people argue that Bohmian quantum mechanics is just an interpretation of quantum mechanics. In addition to the usual Schrödinger equation, we have the following ...
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Identical particles in Bohmian quantum mechanics
Particles can be distinguished by their trajectories in Bohmian quantum mechanics and there is no natural reason for imposing symmetrization (or anti-symmetrization) of the wave function of the ...
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How are can there be initial conditions in Bohmian mechanics that disobey the Born rule if Gleason's theorem is true?
Gleason's theorem constrains the possible measures that are allowed on Hilbert spaces of dimension $\ge 3$. It is often said that Gleason's theorem essentially says that the Born rule is the ...
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Do I understand De Broglie–Bohm theory correctly?
In the interpretation of quantum mechanics developed by David Bohm (De Broglie–Bohm theory), the wave function is considered as a real-life physical field that evolves according to the Schrödinger ...
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What is the ontological status of gauge fields/virtual particles/electron radiation in Dirac sea model of Bohmian QFT?
I have been reading about this model - it is a model without actual particle creation or annihilation, particles move deterministically according to Bohm's law, the Dirac sea is used to explain away ...
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In Bohmian mechanics does a pilot wave have a mass and what is the mass?
In Bohmian mechanics does a pilot wave have a mass and what is the mass?
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Why is Pilot Wave Theory nonlocal?
I have read that the Pilot Wave Theory is nonlocal and can therefore be excluded.
Why is the PW Theory nonlocal?
Isn't QM also nonlocal, as we can see it from entanglement?
I already googled the ...
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Wigner friend experiment with qbits
Suppose that in his isolated box, Wigner's friend measures a qbit in state $|→⟩=\dfrac{|↑⟩+|↓⟩}{\sqrt{2}}$ along the vertical axe. Then, he sends Wigner (who remains outside the box) a qbit in the ...
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How does the Bohm interpretation/pilot wave theory explain particles getting spontaneously created and destroyed?
Pilot wave theory says that classical particles are riding on waves.
Quantum field theory says that particles are the excitations of a field.
Both of these descriptions seem like essentially the same ...
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Particles in an interferometer in a gravitational field
Let's assume one has a standard interferometer, consisting of an incoming beam which gets splitted in beam I and II and then culminated again. Now the interferometer is placed in a gravitational field,...
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Different expressions for the guidance equation - how to show equivalence?
I assume it's not too difficult but I don't know how to show the equivalence between two different expressions of the guidance equation in Bohmian mechanics. The following is the form I already ...
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Why can we not know the position of a particle in Bohmian Mechanics?
I can't seem to understand this. In Bohmian mechanics, particles have definite positions and are guided by a wave function governed deterministically by Schrodinger's equation. So if you knew a ...
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What does happen if we use a delta function for density on the De Broglie–Bohm theory?
I was reading Pilot wave theory and De Broglie–Bohm theory pages on Wikipedia that I found how similar they are comparing to classical physics and I wondered what happens if we just replace the ...
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Spacetime as a medium for electromagnetic waves? [closed]
We typically break waves into two separate types mechanical waves and electromagnetic waves and treat them entirely differently based primarily on the observation that electromagnetic waves don't ...
user280703
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If we know the inital state of a quantum field can we predict its later state?
If we have the wavefunctional $\Phi[\psi]$ which tells us the probability density for finding $\psi$. Let's say we know the exact field state at $t=0;$ $\psi(x,0)$. Can we use the wavefunctional $\Phi[...
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What are the objections to stochastic quantum mechanics? [closed]
I recently discovered the stochastic interpretation of quantum mechanics, which is different from the De Broglie-Bohm theory The best article I found on it was very much a comparison of the two by ...
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Regarding Pilot Wave Theory [duplicate]
Not as popular as the Copenhagen interpretation perhaps, but I'm truly intrigues to know the intricacies of the de Broglie-Bohm Theory. However, I could find absolutely no source which could teach me ...
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How does Bohmian mechanics explain the effect of information in the double-slit experiment?
De Broglie and David Bohm found a method (1952) that explains the double-slit experiment and its variations, which are so central to QM, in an intuitive way without appeal to probability, wave-...
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How do electrons stay in orbitals in Bohmian Mechanics?
I've been reading various realist interpretations of quantum mechanics and in Bohmian Mechanics, I found that the "wave" aspect of a quantum particle is removed from the particle to preserve ...
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Is it possible to split a photon into two? And if so, how would Bohmian mechanics explain that?
In standard QM, photons are waves, but in Bohmian mechanics, photons are particles being guided by waves. So, if you split the wave, do you also split the particle? How would that work?
user260835
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Resolving the measurement problem with mathematical theorems? [closed]
The key debate, around the measurement problem is whether collapse should be interpreted as a physical process(Bohmian Mechanics) or as an immaterial process(e.g. Copenhagen Interpretation, ...
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Separation of Klein-Gordon-/Dirac-equation (Bohmian-mechanics)
With the function $R{ e }^{ \frac { i }{ \hbar } S }$ one can separate the Schrödinger equation
$$i \hbar \frac{\partial \psi}{\partial t}=\left(-\frac{\hbar^{2}}{2 m} \nabla^{2}+V\right) \psi$$
into ...
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How does the superposition of states come up in Bohmian Mechanics?
In Bohmian Mechanics, it assumes a universal wave field in which particle's motion can be calculated using Newton's law of motion:
\begin{equation}
m\frac{d^{2}x}{dt^{2}} = - \nabla(V+U)
\end{...
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Can the pilot wave in Bohmian mechanics be derived from velocity-dependent potential?
In the derivation of the pilot wave, Bohm wrote the Schrodinger equation in this way:
\begin{equation}
\frac{\partial{S}}{\partial{t}} + \frac{(\nabla{S})^2}{2m} + V(x,t) - \frac{\hbar^2}{4m}[\frac{...
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De-Broglie Wavelength and the Pilot Wave Theory
I researched a lot of questions on De-Broglie waves on this website and discovered a dense fog of confusion amongst everyone. Louis De-Broglie proposed "Matter Waves" and a simple equation describing ...
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Relativistic Bohmian Mechanics [duplicate]
Is there a relativistic interpretation of Bohmian Mechanics, akin to QFT for the Copenhagen Interpretation?
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