English

The quantum state should be interpreted statistically

Quantum Physics 2012-01-17 v2

Abstract

In a recent paper (arXiv:1111.3328), Pusey, Barrett and Rudolph claim to prove that statistical interpretations of quantum mechanics do not work. In fact, their proof assumes that all statistical interpretations must be based on hidden variable realism. Effectively, the authors demand from the start that reality must be decided by mathematics, and not by measurements. If this unjustified assumption is dropped, the quantum formalism has a natural statistical interpretation that fully explains the paradox presented by the authors. It is therefore possible to conclude that the paradox actually supports the statistical interpretation, demonstrating once more that quantum mechanics should not be explained by measurement independent realities that are never observed and therefore lie beyond the reach of empirical tests.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1112.2446,
  title  = {The quantum state should be interpreted statistically},
  author = {Holger F. Hofmann},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1112.2446},
  year   = {2012}
}

Comments

3 pages, comment on arXiv:1111.3328. Ordering of terms in Equation (1) and spellings corrected in the second version

R2 v1 2026-06-21T19:49:33.192Z