Related papers: Are quantum states real?
The fundamental physical theories that interpret and explain behaviour of matter in nature are dependent on several unobservables and insensibles in their construction. While a rigorous natural philosophy cannot take them for granted, there…
Quantum theory describes our universe incredibly successfully. To our classically-inclined brains, however, it is a bizarre description that requires a re-imagining of what fundamental reality, or "ontology", could look like. This thesis…
The toy model used by Spekkens [R. Spekkens, Phys. Rev. A 75, 032110 (2007)] to argue in favor of an epistemic view of quantum mechanics is extended by generalizing his definition of pure states (i.e. states of maximal knowledge) and by…
As contrasted with physicists to idolize Bell's theorem and quantum nonlocality, we argue that quantum mechanics (QM), in reality, respects the principles of a macroscopic realism (PMRs). The current QM to tell us that "... the state of a…
We can recognize two modes in which 'quantum appears' in macro domains: (i) a 'micro-physical appearance', where quantum laws are assumed to be universal and they are transferred from the micro to the macro level if suitable 'quantum…
We present a general formalism with the aim of describing the situation of an entity, how it is, how it reacts to experiments, how we can make statistics with it, and how it changes under the influence of the rest of the universe. Therefore…
A quantum state can be understood in a loose sense as a map that assigns a value to every observable. Formalizing this characterization of states in terms of generalized probability distributions on the set of effects, we obtain a simple…
The Pusey-Barrett-Rudolph theorem has recently provoked a lot of discussion regarding the reality of the quantum state. In this article we focus on a property called antidistinguishability, which is a main component in constructing the…
Zurek's existential interpretation of quantum mechanics suffers from three classical prejudices, including the belief that space and time are intrinsically and infinitely differentiated. They compel him to relativize the concept of…
We study a quantum theory based on two assumptions: In the intrinsic frame of reference of an isolated, macroscopic system, (i) the system has no global motion and is not entangled with any other system, (ii) time evolution of statevectors…
One of the foundational challenges in both Quantum Field Theory and the philosophy of physics lies in the traditional binary classification of entities as either real or unreal. The classical view posits that material entities are real,…
Quantum mechanics implies that not all physical properties can be simultaneously well defined, such as the momentum and position due to Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Some alternative theories have been explored, notably the…
A core principle of quantum theory is that non-orthogonal quantum states cannot be perfectly distinguished with single-shot measurements. However, it is possible to exclude a subset of non-orthogonal states without error in certain…
The status of locality in quantum mechanics is analyzed from a nonstandard point of view. It is assumed that quantum states are relative, they depend on and are defined with respect to some bigger physical system which contains the former…
Quantum state smoothing is a technique for estimating the quantum state of a partially observed quantum system at time $\tau$, conditioned on an entire observed measurement record (both before and after $\tau$). However, this smoothing…
Quantum mechanics marks a radical departure from the classical understanding of Nature, fostering an inherent randomness which forbids a deterministic description; yet the most fundamental departure arises from something different. As shown…
In a quantum universe with a strong arrow of time, we postulate a low-entropy boundary condition (the Past Hypothesis) to account for the temporal asymmetry. In this paper, I show that the Past Hypothesis also contains enough information to…
We investigate the minimal proof for ruling out maximally $\psi-$epistemic interpretations of quantum theory, in which the indistinguishable nature of two quantum states is fully explained by the epistemic overlap of their corresponding…
Despite being the most fundamental object in quantum theory, physicists are yet to reach a consensus on the interpretation of a quantum wavefunction. In the broad class of realist approaches, quantum states are viewed as Liouville-like…
We review the Pusey-Barret-Rudolph (PBR) theorem\cite{PBR} and their setup, and arrive to the conclusion that the reality of a quantum state $\psi$ is intrinsically attached to the measurement the system described by $\psi$ has undergone.…