Less Interpretation and More Decoherence in Quantum Gravity and Inflationary Cosmology

Crull, Elise

doi:10.1007/s10701-014-9847-4

Cited by 13 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…4.2 above, the nature and extent of the measurement problem depends on the interpretation. Thus the implications of decoherence theory for the measurement problem depend on specific interpretative framework used [245,260,266,279,281]. -Extrinsic decoherence theory involves a split between an ignored E and a considered [S+A], and so can be seen as involving something similar to von Neumann's infinite regress (see Sect.…”

Section: Decoherence: Not In Itself a Solution But Useful In Particumentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding quantum mechanics: a review and synthesis in precise language

Drummond¹

2019

Open Physics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This review, of the understanding of quantum mechanics, is broad in scope, and aims to reflect enough of the literature to be representative of the current state of the subject. To enhance clarity, the main findings are presented in the form of a coherent synthesis of the reviewed sources. The review highlights core characteristics of quantum mechanics. One is statistical balance in the collective response of an ensemble of identically prepared systems, to differing measurement types. Another is that states are mathematical terms prescribing probability aspects of future events, relating to an ensemble of systems, in various situations. These characteristics then yield helpful insights on entanglement, measurement, and widely-discussed experiments and analyses. The review concludes by considering how these insights are supported, illustrated and developed by some specific approaches to understanding quantum mechanics. The review uses non-mathematical language precisely (terms defined) and rigorously (consistent meanings), and uses only such language. A theory more descriptive of independent reality than is quantum mechanics may yet be possible. One step in the pursuit of such a theory is to reach greater consensus on how to understand quantum mechanics. This review aims to contribute to achieving that greater consensus, and so to that pursuit.

show abstract

Section: Decoherence: Not In Itself a Solution But Useful In Particumentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding quantum mechanics: a review and synthesis in precise language

Drummond¹

2019

Open Physics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Though entanglement is certainly prerequisite for decoherence, this does not make them identical processes. The sentence following my definition of decoherence in the original paper makes this clear: "The cause of decoherence processes is entanglement with external degrees of freedom" (Crull, 2015(Crull, , p. 2021.…”

Section: Decoherence and Epr Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…No where did I claim that the apparent definiteness of a measurement outcome was due to the ontic state of affairs prior to measurement. Indeed, it was to caution against precisely this metaphysical misstep -of reading off the formalism claims about reality -that I quoted Bitbol's injunction: "One should realize that choosing a starting point has no ontological implication at all" (Crull, 2015(Crull, , p. 1030. Writing down the system's reduced density matrix in a convenient basis does not commit one to such claims about definite values.…”

Section: Decoherence and Spin-1/2 Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A few years ago I published an article in this journal titled "Less interpretation and more decoherence in quantum gravity and inflationary cosmology" (Crull, 2015) that generated replies from three pairs of authors: Vassallo and Esfeld (2015), Okon and Sudarsky (2016) and Fortin and Lombardi (2017). As a philosopher of physics it is my chief aim to engage physicists and philosophers alike in deeper conversation regarding scientific theories and their implications.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Yes, More Decoherence: A Reply to Critics

Crull

2017

Found Phys

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…On the one hand, Elise Crull [1] considers that decoherence, by itself, solves many conceptual problems in quantum physics, with no need of interpretative considerations. On the other hand, Antonio Vassallo and Michael Esfeld [2] reply by correctly claiming that, although decoherence is a powerful tool to deal with conceptual problems, it does not dispense us from interpreting the formalism.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Interpretation and Decoherence: A Contribution to the Debate Vassallo & Esfeld Versus Crull

Fortín

Lombardi

2017

Found Phys

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Two recent papers appeared in FOOP disagree regarding the role played by decoherence in quantum physics. On the one hand, Elise Crull [1] considers that decoherence, by itself, solves many conceptual problems in quantum physics, with no need of interpretative considerations. On the other hand, Antonio Vassallo and Michael Esfeld [2] reply by correctly claiming that, although decoherence is a powerful tool to deal with conceptual problems, it does not dispense us from interpreting the formalism. In this brief note we want to contribute to the debate with further considerations from another viewpoint.Vassallo and Esfeld stress the fact that, since in a standard Schrödinger's cat measurement the state of the whole system remains in superposition, the assumption that decoherence solves the measurement problem requires the assumption, among others, that the cat is a quantum system completely described by its own individual state. In fact, this assumption is not irrelevant at all, but brings to the fore the issue of how open systems are conceived. In particular, it requires to reconsider the status of the reduced states that describe their behavior.In classical statistical mechanics, the standard answer to the irreversibility problem in the Gibbsian framework relies on coarse-graining: whereas the statistical state of the system, represented by a density function, evolves obeying the Liouville theorem, the evolution of coarsegrained states is not constrained by the theorem and, under definite conditions of instability, may approach a definite limit for t  . Of course, there are deep disagreements about the interpretation of the so-obtained irreversibility. But, independently of such disagreements, nobody ignores the difference between the statistical state, which evolves according to the dynamical postulate of the theory, and the coarse-grained state, which may tend to a final stable state. The situation in quantum mechanics is quite different: the distinction between the different kinds of states appearing in the quantum discourse is usually not sufficiently emphasized. For instance, sometimes it is said that the dynamical postulate of quantum mechanics only applies to closed systems, whereas reduced operators actually represent quantum states of open systems that evolve according to a different, non-unitary dynamical law. Although it is admitted that reduced states may cancel quantum correlations and, as a consequence, cannot be used for computations in certain cases, the states of closed and open systems are usually treated on equal footing.

show abstract

Less Interpretation and More Decoherence in Quantum Gravity and Inflationary Cosmology

Cited by 13 publications

References 36 publications

Understanding quantum mechanics: a review and synthesis in precise language

Understanding quantum mechanics: a review and synthesis in precise language

Yes, More Decoherence: A Reply to Critics

Interpretation and Decoherence: A Contribution to the Debate Vassallo & Esfeld Versus Crull

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About