Related papers: No-Go Theorems and the Foundations of Quantum Phys…
According to a recent no-go theorem (M. Pusey, J. Barrett and T. Rudolph, Nature Physics 8, 475 (2012)), models in which quantum states correspond to probability distributions over the values of some underlying physical variables must have…
We give a short geometric proof of the Kochen-Specker no-go theorem for non-contextual hidden variables models. Note added to this version: I understand from Jan-Aake Larsson that the construction we give here actually contains the original…
The notorious Wigner's friend thought experiment (and modifications thereof) has in recent years received renewed interest especially due to new arguments that force us to question some of the fundamental assumptions of quantum theory. In…
The general problem of performance advantage obtainable by the use of nonclassical transmitted states over classical ones is considered. Attention is focused on the situation where system loss is significant and additive Gaussian noise may…
The notion of measurements is central for many debates in quantum mechanics. One critical point is whether a measurement can be regarded as an absolute event, giving the same result for any observer in an irreversible manner. Using ideas…
We examine the implications of quantum foundations for AGI, focusing on how seminal results such as Bell's theorems (non-locality), the Kochen-Specker theorem (contextuality) and no-cloning theorem problematise practical implementation of…
We discuss the problem of hidden variables and the motivation for introducting them in quantum mechanics. These include determinism, and the problem of meassurement and incompleteness. We first discuss Von-Neumann's imposisbility proof and…
The Kochen-Specker theorem rules out models of quantum theory wherein projective measurements are assigned outcomes deterministically and independently of context. This notion of noncontextuality is not applicable to experimental…
In the paper "Quantum theory cannot consistently describe the use of itself" by D. Frauchiger and R. Renner an atempt is made at proving a "no-go theorem" that states that either quantum theory cannot be universally applied, even to…
The Pusey-Barrett-Rudolph (PBR) no-go theorem provides an argument for the reality of the quantum state by ruling out {\psi}-epistemic ontological theories, in which the quantum state is of a statistical nature. It applies under an…
By formulating the axioms of quantum mechanics, von Neumann also laid the foundations of a "quantum probability theory". As such, it is regarded a generalization of the "classical probability theory" due to Kolmogorov. Outside of quantum…
It is proven that Gaussian operations are of no use for protecting Gaussian states against Gaussian errors in quantum communication protocols. Specifically, we introduce a new quantity characterizing any single-mode Gaussian channel, called…
If there exists a formulation of quantum mechanics which does not refer to a background classical spacetime manifold, it then follows as a consequence, (upon making one plausible assumption), that a quantum description of gravity should be…
We provide a mechanism by which, from a background independent model with no quantum mechanics, quantum theory arises in the same limit in which spatial properties appear. Starting with an arbitrary abstract graph as the microscopic model…
A central result in the foundations of quantum mechanics is the Kochen-Specker theorem. In short, it states that quantum mechanics is in conflict with classical models in which the result of a measurement does not depend on which other…
An important hurdle to be faced by any model proposing a resolution to the cosmological constant problem is Weinberg's venerable no go theorem. This theorem states that no local field equations including classical gravity can have a flat…
A possible ground state of Quantum Gravity is Wheeler's ``space-time foam'', which can be modeled as a ``Planck-lattice'', a space-time cubic lattice of lattice constant $a_P\simeq 10^{33}$cm, the Planck length. I analyse the structure of…
The possibility of a fundamental consistency between the basic quantum principles and reduction (so-called wave function reduction) is reexamined. The mathematical description of an organized macroscopic device is constructed explicitly as…
In this paper, we reconsider the communication model used in the no-go theorems on the impossibility of quantum bit commitment and oblivious transfer. We state that a macroscopic classical channel may not be replaced with a quantum channel…
The quantum state \psi is a mathematical object used to determine the probabilities of different outcomes when measuring a physical system. Its fundamental nature has been the subject of discussions since the inception of quantum theory: is…