Related papers: Individuality as an illusion
Quantum experiments detect particles, but they reveal information about wave properties. No matter how quanta are detected, they always express the local net state of the corresponding wave-function. The mechanism behind this process is…
We explore the sense in which the state of a physical system may or may not be regarded (an) observable in quantum mechanics. Simple and general arguments from various lines of approach are reviewed which demonstrate the following no-go…
After about a century since the first attempts by Bohr, the interpretation of quantum theory is still a field with many open questions. In this article a new interpretation of quantum theory is suggested, motivated by philosophical…
In resisting attempts to explain the unity of a whole in terms of a multiplicity of interacting parts, quantum mechanics calls for an explanatory concept that proceeds in the opposite direction: from unity to multiplicity. It concerns the…
Quantum entanglement -- correlations of particles that are stronger than any classical analogue -- is the basis for research on the foundations of quantum mechanics and for practical applications such as quantum networks. Traditionally,…
It is argued that while quantum mechanics contains nonlocal or entangled states, the instantaneous or nonlocal influences sometimes thought to be present due to violations of Bell inequalities in fact arise from mistaken attempts to apply…
In classical physics, there is a basic principle, namely "A particle cannot be located at the position of another one on the same time". Which consequences can be derived if this principle is transferred into quantum physics? For doing…
Quantum uncertainty is the cornerstone of quantum mechanics which underlies many counterintuitive nonclassical phenomena. Recent studies remarkably showed that it also fundamentally limits nonclassical correlation, and crucially, a…
Quasi-set theory $\cal Q$ allows us to cope with certain collections of objects where the usual notion of identity is not applicable, in the sense that $x = x$ is not a formula, if $x$ is an arbitrary term. $\cal Q$ was partially motivated…
The act of describing how a physical process changes a system is the basis for understanding observed phenomena. For quantum-mechanical processes in particular, the affect of processes on quantum states profoundly advances our knowledge of…
I propose a new and direct connection between classical mechanics and quantum mechanics where I derive the quantum mechanical propagator from a variational principle. This variational principle is Hamilton's modified principle generalized…
Quantum theory's irreducible empirical core is a probability calculus. While it presupposes the events to which (and on the basis of which) it serves to assign probabilities, and therefore cannot account for their occurrence, it has to be…
We show that the principles of a ''complete physical theory'' and the conclusions of the standard quantum mechanics do not irreconcilably contradict each other as is commonly believed. In the algebraic approach, we formulate axioms that…
'Tis said, to know others is to be learned, to know oneself, wise - I demonstrate that it could be more fundamental than knowing the rest of nature, by applying classical computational principles and engineering hindsight to derive and…
The different interpretations of quantum mechanics yield the same experimental results, which may give the impression that the question of what interpretation is the true one, is a philosophical question, not a scientific one. But in this…
It is shown that the independence of the continuum hypothesis points to the unique definite status of the set of intermediate cardinality: the intermediate set exists only as a subset of continuum. This latent status is a consequence of…
In the discussion about the quantumness of NMR computation a conclusion is done that computational states are separable and therefore can not be entangled. This conclusion is based on the assumption that the initial density matrix of an…
The two ways of constrained systems quantization are considered from the point of view of their self-consistency at the quantum level. With a transparent example of a particle in the external electromagnetic field we demonstrate that the…
We look into the ontology of quantum theory as distinct from that of the classical theory in the sciences, following a broadly Kantian tradition and distinguishing between the noumenal and phenomenal realities where the former is…
We establish a sharp quantum advantage in determining the parity (even/odd) of an unknown permutation applied to any number $n \ge 3$ of particles. Classically, this is impossible with fewer than $n$ labels, being that the success is…