Related papers: Toy Models for Retrocausality
We consider a very general class of theories, process theories, which capture the underlying structure common to most theories of physics as we understand them today (be they established, toy or speculative theories). Amongst these…
Recent progress in quantum physics has made it possible to perform experiments in which individual quantum systems are monitored and manipulated in real time. The advent of such new technical capabilities provides strong motivation for the…
The rather unintuitive nature of quantum theory has led numerous people to develop sets of (physically motivated) principles that can be used to derive quantum mechanics from the ground up, in order to better understand where the structure…
The toy model of a particle on a vertical rotating circle in the presence of uniform gravitational/ magnetic fields is explored in detail. After an analysis of the classical mechanics of the problem we then discuss the quantum mechanics…
There exists a stark tension among different formulations of quantum theory as some are inherently time-symmetric while others are time-asymmetric. This tension is crisply captured when considering physical theories as theories of…
Quantum mechanics led to spectacular technological developments, discovery of new constituents of matter and new materials. However there is still no consensus on its interpretation and limitations. Some scientists and scientific writers…
Causal modelling provides a powerful set of tools for identifying causal structure from observed correlations. It is well known that such techniques fail for quantum systems, unless one introduces `spooky' hidden mechanisms. Whether one can…
Downward causation is self-causation, the causel effect from the whole to its parts, and is considered a promising theory for the problem of mental causation. However, it remains to be clarified how an irreducible but supervenient downward…
The landscape of causal relations that can hold among a set of systems in quantum theory is richer than in classical physics. In particular, a pair of time-ordered systems can be related as cause and effect or as the effects of a common…
We present a toy theory that is based on a simple principle: the number of questions about the physical state of a system that are answered must always be equal to the number that are unanswered in a state of maximal knowledge. A wide…
Lately, so-called "quantum" models, based on parts of the mathematics of quantum mechanics, have been developed in decision theory and cognitive sciences to account for seemingly irrational or paradoxical human judgments. We consider here…
Retrocausal models of QM add further weight to the conflict between causality and the possible existence of free will. We analyze a simple closed causal loop ensuing from the interaction between two systems with opposing thermodynamic time…
Wood and Spekkens (2015) argue that any causal model explaining the EPRB correlations and satisfying no-signalling must also violate the assumption that the model faithfully reproduces the statistical dependences and independences---a…
I investigate a new idea of perturbation theory in covariant canonical quantization. I present preliminary results for a toy model of a harmonic oscillator with a quartic perturbation, and show that this method reproduces the quantized…
Backward causation in which future events affect the past is formalized in a way consistent with Special Relativity and shown to restore locality to nonrelativistic quantum mechanics. It can explain the correlations of the EPR paradox…
This article may be seen as a summary and a final discussion of the work that the author has done in recent years on the foundation of quantum theory. It is shown that quantum mechanics as a model follows under certain specific conditions…
This paper presents a framework for Quantum causal modeling based on the interpretation of causality as a relation between an observer's probability assignments to hypothetical or counterfactual experiments. The framework is based on the…
Causality is a fundamental part of the scientific endeavour to understand the world. Unfortunately, causality is still taboo in much of psychology and social science. Motivated by a growing number of recommendations for the importance of…
A version of Bohm's model incorporating retrocausality is presented, the aim being to explain the nonlocality of Bell's theorem while maintaining Lorentz invariance in the underlying ontology. The strengths and weaknesses of this…
Recent numerical results show that non-Bayesian knowledge revision may be helpful in search engine training and optimization. In order to demonstrate how basic assumption about about the physical nature (and hence the observed statistics)…