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Local Scale Invariance in Quantum Theory: Experimental Predictions

Quantum Physics 2026-03-17 v3 General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology High Energy Physics - Theory History and Philosophy of Physics

Abstract

We explore the experimental predictions of the local scale invariant, non-Hermitian pilot-wave (de Broglie-Bohm) formulation of quantum theory introduced in arXiv:2601.03567. We use Weyl's definition of gravitational radius of charge to obtain the fine-structure constant for non-integrable scale effects αS\alpha_S. The minuteness of αS\alpha_S relative to α\alpha (αS/α1021\alpha_S/\alpha \sim 10^{-21}) effectively hides the effects in usual quantum experiments. In an Aharonov-Bohm double-slit experiment, the theory predicts that the position probability density depends on which slit the particle trajectory crosses, due to a non-integrable scale induced by the magnetic flux. This experimental prediction can be tested for an electrically neutral, heavy molecule with mass m1019gm \sim 10^{-19} \text{g} at a 105 esu\sim 10^5 \text{ esu} flux regime. We analyse the Weyl-Einstein debate on the second-clock effect using the theory and show that spectral frequencies are history-independent. We thereby resolve Einstein's key objection against local scale invariance, and obtain two further experimental predictions. First, spectral intensities turn out to be history-dependent. Second, energy eigenvalues are modified by tiny imaginary corrections that modify spectral linewidths. We argue that the trajectory dependence of the probabilities renders our theory empirically distinguishable from other quantum formulations that do not use pilot-wave trajectories, or their mathematical equivalents, to derive experimental predictions.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2601.07883,
  title  = {Local Scale Invariance in Quantum Theory: Experimental Predictions},
  author = {Indrajit Sen and Matthew Leifer},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.07883},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

13 pages, 3 figures

R2 v1 2026-07-01T09:01:24.713Z