English

Measurement and Quantum Dynamics in the Minimal Modal Interpretation of Quantum Theory

Quantum Physics 2020-09-22 v2 High Energy Physics - Theory

Abstract

Any realist interpretation of quantum theory must grapple with the measurement problem and the status of state-vector collapse. In a no-collapse approach, measurement is typically modeled as a dynamical process involving decoherence. We describe how the minimal modal interpretation closes a gap in this dynamical description, leading to a complete and consistent resolution to the measurement problem and an effective form of state collapse. Our interpretation also provides insight into the indivisible nature of measurement--the fact that you can't stop a measurement part-way through and uncover the underlying `ontic' dynamics of the system in question. Having discussed the hidden dynamics of a system's ontic state during measurement, we turn to more general forms of open-system dynamics and explore the extent to which the details of the underlying ontic behavior of a system can be described. We construct a space of ontic trajectories and describe obstructions to defining a probability measure on this space.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1807.07136,
  title  = {Measurement and Quantum Dynamics in the Minimal Modal Interpretation of Quantum Theory},
  author = {Jacob A. Barandes and David Kagan},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1807.07136},
  year   = {2020}
}

Comments

20 pages + 2 pages of references + 1 more page with a reference, 3 figures