Weekly Papers on Quantum Foundations (37)

This is a list of this week’s papers on quantum foundations published in various journals or uploaded to preprint servers such as arxiv.org and PhilSci Archive.

Quantum holism: nonseparability as common ground

Latest Results for Synthese

on 2016-9-09 12:00am GMT

Abstract

Quantum mechanics seems to portray nature as nonseparable, in the sense that it allows spatiotemporally separated entities to have states that cannot be fully specified without reference to each other. This is often said to implicate some form of “holism.” We aim to clarify what this means, and why this seems plausible. Our core idea is that the best explanation for nonseparability is a “common ground” explanation (modeled after common cause explanations), which casts nonseparable entities in a holistic light, as scattered reflections of a more unified underlying reality.

Neutrino Oscillations with Nil Mass

Latest Results for Foundations of Physics

on 2016-9-09 12:00am GMT

Abstract

An alternative neutrino oscillation process is presented as a counterexample for which the neutrino may have nil mass consistent with the standard model. The process is developed in a quantum trajectories representation of quantum mechanics, which has a Hamilton–Jacobi foundation. This process has no need for mass differences between mass eigenstates. Flavor oscillations and \(\nu ,\bar{\nu }\) oscillations are examined.

The uncertainty principle – A simplified review of the four versions

ScienceDirect Publication: Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics

on 2016-9-08 11:16pm GMT

Publication date: Available online 6 September 2016
Source:Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics
Author(s): Vasudeva Jijnasu
The complexity of the historical confusions around different versions of the uncertainty principle, in addition to the increasing technicality of physics in general, has made its affairs predominantly accessible only to specialists. Consequently, the clarity that has dawned upon physicists over the decades regarding quantum uncertainty remains mostly imperceptible for general readers, students, philosophers and even non-expert scientists. In an attempt to weaken this barrier, the article presents a summary of this technical subject, focussing at the prime case of the position-momentum pair, as modestly and informatively as possible. This includes a crisp analysis of the historical as well as of the latest developments. In the process the article provides arguments to show that the usually sidelined version of uncertainty—the intrinsic ׳unsharpness׳ or ׳indeterminacy׳—forms the basis for all the other three versions, and subsequently presents its hard philosophical implications.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Gravity and Information. (arXiv:1609.01725v1 [hep-th])

hep-th updates on arXiv.org

on 2016-9-08 8:08am GMT

Authors: Gerard ‘t HooftSteven B. GiddingsCarlo RovelliPiero NicoliniJonas MureikaMatthias KaminskiMarcus Bleicher

Various contenders for a complete theory of quantum gravity are at odds with each other. This is in particular seen in the ways they relate to information and black holes, and how to effectively treat quantization of the background spacetime. Modern perspectives on black hole evaporation suggest that quantum gravity effects in the near-horizon region can perturb the local geometry. The approaches differ, however, in the time scale on which one can expect these effects to become important. This panel session presents three points of view on these problems, and considers the ultimate prospect of observational tests in the near future.

Localisation in Quantum Field Theory. (arXiv:1609.01470v1 [hep-th] CROSS LISTED)

gr-qc updates on arXiv.org

on 2016-9-08 1:51am GMT

Authors: A. P. Balachandran

In nonrelativistic quantum mechanics , Born’s principle of localisation is as follows: For a single particle, if a wave function $\psi_K$ vanishes outside a spatial region $K$, it is said to be localised in $K$. In particular if a spatial region $K’$ is disjoint from $K$, a wave function $\psi_{K’}$ localised in $K’$ is orthogonal to $\psi_K$.

Such a principle of localisation does not exist compatibly with relativity and causality in quantum field theory (Newton and Wigner) or interacting point particles (Currie,Jordan and Sudarshan).It is replaced by symplectic localisation of observables as shown by Brunetti, Guido and Longo, Schroer and others. This localisation gives a simple derivation of the spin-statistics theorem and the Unruh effect, and shows how to construct quantum fields for anyons and for massless particles with `continuous’ spin.

This review outlines the basic principles underlying symplectic localisation and shows or mentions its deep implications. In particular, it has the potential to affect relativistic quantum information theory and black hole physics.

Chaos in AdS_{2} Holography

PRL Editors’ Suggestions

on 2016-9-07 2:00pm GMT

Author(s): Kristan Jensen

A theoretical analysis points at a possible connection between near-conformal two-dimensional gravity and a fermionic quantum mechanical system with applications to condensed matter physics.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 111601] Published Wed Sep 07, 2016

On time, causation and explanation in the causally symmetric Bohmian model of quantum mechanics

Philsci-Archive: No conditions. Results ordered -Date Deposited.

on 2016-9-06 5:22pm GMT

Berkovitz, Joseph (2016) On time, causation and explanation in the causally symmetric Bohmian model of quantum mechanics. [Preprint]

Can we Rule out the Need for Consciousness in Quantum Mechanics?. (arXiv:1609.00614v1 [quant-ph])

physics.hist-ph updates on arXiv.org

on 2016-9-05 3:28am GMT

Authors: J. Acacio de BarrosGary Oas

In this paper we examine some proposals to disprove the hypothesis that the interaction between mind and matter causes the collapse of the wave function, showing that such proposals are fundamentally flawed. We then describe a general experimental setup retaining the key features of the ones examined, and show that even a more general case is inadequate to disprove the mind-matter collapse hypothesis. Finally, we use our setup provided to argue that, under some reasonable assumptions about consciousness, such hypothesis is unfalsifiable.

 

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