Related papers: The histories interpretation: stability instead of…
A formulation of the consistent histories approach to quantum mechanics in terms of generalized observables (POV measures) and effect operators is provided. The usual notion of `history' is generalized to the notion of `effect history'. The…
Using a functional method it is demonstrated that a generic quantum system evolves to a decohered state in a final pointer basis.
Using the framework of decoherent histories, we study which past events leave detectable records in isolated quantum systems under the realistic assumption that decoherence is approximate and not perfect. In the first part we establish --…
In the present work we suggest a general covariant theory which can be used to study the stability of any physical system treated geometrically. Stability conditions are connected to the magnitude of the deviation vector. This theory is a…
The perturbation theory based on typicality introduced in Ref. [1] and further refined in Refs. [2, 3] provides a powerful tool since it is intended to be applicable to a wide range of scenarios while relying only on a few parameters. Even…
Modal interpretations of quantum mechanics assign definite properties to physical systems and specify single-time joint probabilities of these properties. We show that a natural extension, applying to properties at several times, can be…
Within the histories formalism the decoherence functional is a formal tool to investigate the emergence of classicality in isolated quantum systems, yet an explicit evaluation of it from first principles has not been reported. We provide…
Precise rules are developed in order to formalize the reasoning processes involved in standard non-relativistic quantum mechanics, with the help of analogies from classical physics. A classical or quantum description of a mechanical system…
In the consistent histories (CH) approach to quantum theory probabilities are assigned to histories subject to a consistency condition of negligible interference. The approach has the feature that a given physical situation admits multiple…
The problem investigated in this paper is einselection, i. e. the selection of mutually exclusive quantum states with definite probabilities through decoherence. Its study is based on a theory of decoherence resulting from the projection…
The foundations of environment-induced decoherence theory are discussed and the role of unphysical assumptions is pointed out. An alternative interpretation of decoherence is proposed.
A recent claim by Bassi and Ghirardi that the consistent (decoherent) histories approach cannot provide a realistic interpretation of quantum theory is shown to be based upon a misunderstanding of the single-framework rule: they have…
The purpose of the present study is to derive the pointer states of a macroscopic system interacting with its environment, under the general assumptions, i.e., without assuming any form of the interaction Hamiltonian. The lowest order…
Interpretational questions that arise in the Consistent Histories formulation of quantum mechanics are illustrated by the familiar example of a beam passing through multiple slits.
Coherent structures emerge from the dynamics of many kinds of dissipative, externally driven, nonlinear systems, and continue to provoke new questions that challenge our physical and mathematical understanding. In one specific sub-class of…
Standard semi-classical models of decoherence do not take explicit account of the classical information required to specify the system - environment boundary. I show that this information can be represented as a finite set of reference…
In the modern Bayesian view classical probability theory is simply an extension of conventional logic, i.e., a quantitative tool that allows for consistent reasoning in the presence of uncertainty. Classical theory presupposes, however,…
The relationship between quantum logic, standard propositional logic, and the (consistent) histories rules for quantum reasoning is discussed. It is shown that Maudlin's claim [Am. J. Phys. 79 (2011) 954] that the histories approach is…
In this paper we discuss the consistency concept of Williams coherence for imprecise conditional previsions, presenting a variant of this notion, which we call W-coherence. It is shown that W-coherence ensures important consistency…
It was pointed out recently [A. Kent, Phys. Rev. Lett. 78 (1997) 2874] that the consistent histories approach allows contrary inferences to be made from the same data. These inferences correspond to projections $P$ and $Q$, belonging to…