Related papers: Quantum Theory: Interpretation Cannot be Avoided
In their recent paper "Is a Time Symmetric Interpretation of Quantum Theory Possible Without Retrocausality?", Matthew Leifer and Matthew Pusey argue that the answer to their title question is "no". Unfortunately, the central proof offered…
Since its inception, quantum theory has been the subject of fierce interpretive controversy, which persists to this day. Disputed topics include the basic ontology and dynamics of the theory, the role (if any) of measurement, the meaning of…
Quantum theory was radically different from the theories of nature which came before it. One key difference was its use of complex numbers. This opened a longstanding debate over whether quantum theory fundamentally requires complex numbers…
The interpretation of quantum mechanics has been a problem since its founding days. A large contribution to the discussion of possible interpretations of quantum mechanics is given by the so-called impossibility proofs for hidden variable…
This paper was withdrawn by the author. It turns out that similar ideas have been presented before. The author apologizes.
Most physicists do not have patience for reading long and obscure interpretation arguments and disputes. Hence, to attract attention of a wider physics community, in this paper various old and new aspects of quantum interpretations are…
In this paper we give a reasonable explanation (not proof) to the Copenhagen interpretation of Quantum Mechanics from the view point of decoherence theory. Mathematical physicists with strong mission must prove {\bf the Copenhagen…
This report explains the basic theory and common terminology of quantum physics without assuming any knowledge of physics. It was written by a group of applied mathematicians while they were reading up on the subject. The intended audience…
Most introductory quantum physics instructors would agree that transitioning students from classical to quantum thinking is an important learning goal, but may disagree on whether or how this can be accomplished. Although (and perhaps…
Quantum mechanics has maintained over the years the reputation of being "the most obscure theory." It works perfectly well, but nobody seems to know why. It has been argued that the difficulty in understanding quantum theory is our failed…
When we want to predict the future, we compute it from what we know about the present. Specifically, we take a mathematical representation of observed reality, plug it into some dynamical equations, and then map the time-evolved result back…
In April 2016, Daniela Frauchiger and Renato Renner published an article online in which they introduce a Gedankenexperiment that led them to conclude that single-world interpretation of quantum theory cannot be self-consistent. In a new…
This is a review of the basic theoretical ideas of quantum criticality, and of their connection to numerous experiments on correlated electron compounds. A shortened, modified, and edited version appeared in Physics Today. This arxiv…
I show how quantum mechanics, like the theory of relativity, can be understood as a 'principle theory' in Einstein's sense, and I use this notion to explore the approach to the problem of interpretation developed in my book Interpreting the…
The theory of probability and the quantum theory, the one mathematical and the other physical, are related in that each admits a number of very different interpretations. It has been proposed that the conceptual problems of the quantum…
Recently authors of a paper (arXiv:2105.04407) claim that quantum energy teleportation is unobservable due to a time-energy uncertainty relation. In this short note, I will point out that their argument is wrong. They misuse the uncertainty…
Many theoretical predictions derived from quantum mechanics have been confirmed experimentally during the last 80 years. However, interpretative aspects have long been subject to debate. Among them, the question of the existence of hidden…
If quantum friction existed [J.B. Pendry, New J. Phys. 12, 033028 (2010)] an unlimited amount of useful energy could be extracted from the quantum vacuum and Lifshitz theory would fail. Both are unlikely to be true.
In this paper I would like to outline what I think is the most natural interpretation of quantum mechanics. By natural, I simply mean that it requires the least amount of excess baggage and that it is universal in the sense that it can be…
An assessment of the present status of the theory, some immediate tasks which are suggested thereby and some questions whose answers may require a longer breath since they relate to significant changes in the conceptual and mathematical…