Is Bohmian Mechanics an empirically adequate theory?
Bohmian mechanics (BM) draws a picture of nature, which is completely different from that drawn by standard quantum mechanics (SQM): Particles are at any time at a definite position, and the universe evolves deterministically. Astonishingly, according to a proof by Bohm the empirical predictions of...
Gespeichert in:
1. Verfasser: | |
---|---|
Format: | Artikel |
Sprache: | eng |
Schlagworte: | |
Online-Zugang: | Volltext bestellen |
Tags: |
Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
|
Zusammenfassung: | Bohmian mechanics (BM) draws a picture of nature, which is completely
different from that drawn by standard quantum mechanics (SQM): Particles are at
any time at a definite position, and the universe evolves deterministically.
Astonishingly, according to a proof by Bohm the empirical predictions of these
two very different theories coincide. From the very beginning, BM has faced all
kinds of criticism, most of which are either technical or philosophical. There
is, however, a criticism first raised by Correggi et al. (2002) and recently
strengthened by Kiukas and Werner (2010), which holds that, in spite of Bohm's
proof, the predictions of BM do not agree with those of SQM in the case of
local position measurements on entangled particles in a stationary state.
Hence, given that SQM has been proven to be tremendously successful in the
past, BM could most likely not be considered an empirically adequate theory. My
aim is to resolve the conflict by showing that 1) it relies on hidden
differences in the conceptual thinking, and that 2) the predictions of both
theories approximately coincide if the process of measurement is adequately
accounted for. My analysis makes no use of any sort of wavefunction collapse,
refuting a widespread belief that an "effective collapse" is needed to
reconcile BM with the predictions of SQM. |
---|---|
DOI: | 10.48550/arxiv.1503.00201 |