Ruth Kastner

Revised submission: Decoherence and the Transactional Interpretation

In response to reviewer comments, I am posting a sightly revised version of my previously submitted paper. Editor: please note that my emails to you are not getting through at the moment, so please consider this my resubmission. Many thanks. ABSTRACT: This paper presents an analysis of decoherence resulting from the physically real non-unitarity, or ‘objective reduction,’ that occurs in… Read more →

Decoherence in the Transactional Interpretation

Abstract. This paper presents an analysis of decoherence resulting from the physically real non-unitarity, or ‘objective reduction,’ that occurs in the Transactional Interpretation (TI).  Two distinct aspects of the decoherence process are identified and disambiguated; specifically, (i) the resolution of the basic measurement interaction with respect to the observable under study, and (ii) the effect on the measured system of… Read more →

Topic for 2018 Int’l Workshop on Quantum Foundations

I would like to discuss the Relativistic Transactional Interpretation, specifically the explicit derivation of the Born Rule for radiative processes as presented in my recent paper with John Cramer (https://arxiv.org/abs/1711.04501). It appears clear that TI and RTI provide a physical account of measurement as well as a physical derivation of the Born Rule. Previous objections to TI (such as that… Read more →

Submission: Quantifying Absorption in the Transactional Interpretation

R. E. Kastner, John G. Cramer  3 Feb. 2018 Abstract: The Transactional Interpretation offers a solution to the measurement problem by identifying specific physical conditions precipitating the non-unitary `measurement transition’ of von Neumann. Specifically, the transition occurs as a result of absorber response (a process lacking in the standard approach to the theory).  The purpose of this Letter is to make… Read more →

New Submission: Reply to Marchildon: absorption and non-unitarity remain well-defined in the Relativistic Transactional Interpretation

I rebut some erroneous statements and attempt to clear up some misunderstandings in a recent set of critical remarks by Marchildon regarding the Relativistic Transactional Interpretation (RTI) in this Journal, showing that his negative conclusions regarding the transactional model are ill-founded. Paper link here: Reply to LM IJQF4

On the Status of the Measurement Problem: Recalling the Relativistic Transactional Interpretation

ABSTRACT. In view of a resurgence of concern about the measurement problem, it is pointed out that the Relativistic Transactional Interpretation (RTI) remedies issues previously considered as drawbacks or refutations of the original TI. Specifically, once one takes into account relativistic processes that are not representable at the non-relativistic level (such as particle creation and annihilation, and virtual propagation), absorption… Read more →

Violation of the Born Rule: Implications for Macroscopic Fields.

ABSTRACT. It is shown that violation of the Born Rule leads to a breakdown of the correspondence between the quantum electromagnetic field and its classical counterpart. Specifically, the relationship of the quantum coherent state to the  classical electromagnetic field turns out to imply that if the Born Rule were violated, this could result in apparent deviations from the energy conservation… Read more →

Submitted paper: Haag’s Theorem as a Reason to Reconsider Direct-Action Theories

ABSTRACT. It is argued that the severe consequences of Haag’s inconsistency theorem for quantum field theories can be successfully evaded in the direct-action approach. Some recent favorable comments of John Wheeler, often mistakenly presumed to have abandoned his own (and Feynman’s) direct-action theory, together with the remarkable immunity of direct-action quantum electrodynamics to Haag’s theorem, suggest that it may well… Read more →

Haag’s theorem: proposed resolution

I’m in the process of drafting a paper on resolving the problems associated with Haag’s theorem: Haag, R. (1955). “On quantum field theories,” Matematisk-fysiske Meddelelser, 29, 12. This involves resurrecting direct-action theories as a possible account of how Nature really works. It is perhaps not well known that John Wheeler himself was attempting to resurrect the direct action approach in… Read more →