The Philosophy of Quantum Physics

Friebe, Cord; Kuhlmann, Meinard; Lyre, Holger; Näger, Paul M.; Passon, O.; Stöckler, Manfred

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-78356-7

Cited by 16 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…To illustrate this, consider two measurement types: T1, with possible outcomes O1 and O2; and T2, with possible outcomes O3 and O4 [41] (Section 8) [42] (Section 2) [43] (Section 1.1.2) [44] (Part 3).…”

Section: Statistical Balance: Prescribed By Quantum Mechanicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantum Mechanics: Statistical Balance Prompts Caution in Assessing Conceptual Implications

Drummond

2022

Entropy

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Throughout quantum mechanics there is statistical balance, in the collective response of an ensemble of systems to differing measurement types. Statistical balance is a core feature of quantum mechanics, underlying quantum mechanical states, and not yet explained. The concept of “statistical balance” is here explored, comparing its meaning since 2019 with its original meaning in 2001. Statistical balance now refers to a feature of contexts in which: (a) there is a prescribed probability other than 0 or 1 for the collective response of an ensemble to one measurement type; and (b) the collective response of the same ensemble to another measurement type demonstrates that no well-defined value can be attributed, for the property relevant to the original measurement type, to individual members of the ensemble. In some unexplained way, the outcomes of single runs of a measurement of the original type “balance” each other to give an overall result in line with the prescribed probability. Unexplained statistical balance prompts caution in assessing the conceptual implications of entanglement, measurement, uncertainty, and two-slit and Bell-type analyses. Physicists have a responsibility to the wider population to be conceptually precise about quantum mechanics, and to make clear that many possible conceptual implications are uncertain.

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Section: Statistical Balance: Prescribed By Quantum Mechanicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantum Mechanics: Statistical Balance Prompts Caution in Assessing Conceptual Implications

Drummond

2022

Entropy

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“…3 is of interest for the Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber (GRW) theory [38], which is a modified form of quantum mechanics. It allows to deal with the famous quantum-mechanical measurement problem [37,[79][80][81][82]: If one performs a measurement on a quantum system that is in a superposition, then, assuming that both system and measurement apparatus obey the (linear, deterministic, and unitary) Schrödinger equation, the apparatus will, at the end, be in a superposition too. The quantum-mechanical time evolution inevitably leads to macroscopic superpositions, as is well known from the thought experiment on Schrödinger's cat [36].…”

Section: Grw Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, this approach is often seen as unsatisfactory given that such a collapse is not allowed by the Schrödinger equation, meaning that one has to make the strange assumption that the Schrödinger equation does not apply to measurements. This issue is known as the measurement problem [37].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Master equations for Wigner functions with spontaneous collapse and their relation to thermodynamic irreversibility

2021

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Wigner functions, allowing for a reformulation of quantum mechanics in phase space, are of central importance for the study of the quantum-classical transition. A full understanding of the quantum-classical transition, however, also requires an explanation for the absence of macroscopic superpositions to solve the quantum measurement problem. Stochastic reformulations of quantum mechanics based on spontaneous collapses of the wavefunction are a popular approach to this issue. In this article, we derive the dynamic equations for the four most important spontaneous collapse models—Ghirardi–Rimini–Weber (GRW) theory, continuous spontaneous localization (CSL) model, Diósi-Penrose model, and dissipative GRW model—in the Wigner framework. The resulting master equations are approximated by Fokker–Planck equations. Moreover, we use the phase-space form of GRW theory to test, via molecular dynamics simulations, David Albert’s suggestion that the stochasticity induced by spontaneous collapses is responsible for the emergence of thermodynamic irreversibility. The simulations show that, for initial conditions leading to anti-thermodynamic behavior in the classical case, GRW-type perturbations do not lead to thermodynamic behavior. Consequently, the GRW-based equilibration mechanism proposed by Albert is not observed.

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“…The formalism introduced in Section II is of interest for the Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber (GRW) theory [38], which is a modified form of quantum mechanics. It allows to deal with the famous quantum-mechanical measurement problem [37,[79][80][81][82]: If one performs a measurement on a quantum system that is in a superposition, then, assuming that both system and measurement apparatus obey the (linear, deterministic, and unitary) Schrödinger equation, the apparatus will, at the end, be in a superposition too. The quantum-mechanical time evolution inevitably leads to macroscopic superpositions, as is well known from the thought experiment on Schrödinger's cat [36].…”

Section: Grw Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Master equations for Wigner functions with spontaneous collapse and their relation to thermodynamic irreversibility

Vrugt,

Tóth,

Wittkowski

2021

Preprint

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Wigner functions, allowing for a reformulation of quantum mechanics in phase space, are of central importance for the study of the quantum-classical transition. A full understanding of the quantum-classical transition, however, also requires an explanation for the absence of macroscopic superpositions to solve the quantum measurement problem. Stochastic reformulations of quantum mechanics based on spontaneous collapses of the wavefunction are a popular approach to this issue. In this article, we derive the dynamic equations for the four most important spontaneous collapse models -Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber (GRW) theory, continuous spontaneous localization (CSL) model, Diósi-Penrose model, and dissipative GRW model -in the Wigner framework. The resulting master equations are approximated by Fokker-Planck equations. Moreover, we use the phase-space form of GRW theory to test, via molecular dynamics simulations, David Albert's suggestion that the stochasticity induced by spontaneous collapses is responsible for the emergence of thermodynamic irreversibility. The simulations show that, for initial conditions leading to anti-thermodynamic behavior in the classical case, GRW-type perturbations do not lead to thermodynamic behavior. Consequently, the GRW-based equilibration mechanism proposed by Albert is not observed.

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The Philosophy of Quantum Physics

Cited by 16 publications

References 0 publications

Quantum Mechanics: Statistical Balance Prompts Caution in Assessing Conceptual Implications

Quantum Mechanics: Statistical Balance Prompts Caution in Assessing Conceptual Implications

Master equations for Wigner functions with spontaneous collapse and their relation to thermodynamic irreversibility

Master equations for Wigner functions with spontaneous collapse and their relation to thermodynamic irreversibility

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