English

Finite frequentism explains quantum probability

Quantum Physics 2024-05-20 v3 Classical Physics History and Philosophy of Physics

Abstract

I show that frequentism, as an explanation of probability in classical statistical mechanics, can be extended in a natural way to a decoherent quantum history space, the analogue of a classical phase space. The result is a form of finite frequentism, in which the Gibbs concept of an infinite ensemble of gases is replaced by the quantum state expressed as a superposition of a finite number of decohering microstates. It is a form of finite and actual (as opposed to hypothetical) frequentism insofar as all the microstates exist, even though they may differ macroscopically, in keeping with the decoherence-based Everett interpretation of quantum mechanics.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2404.12954,
  title  = {Finite frequentism explains quantum probability},
  author = {Simon Saunders},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2404.12954},
  year   = {2024}
}

Comments

29 pages, 4 figures

R2 v1 2026-06-28T15:59:56.849Z