History of Science 4.

1 Final Essay Quantum Mechanics: The Interpretation War

Author: Kai Neuhaus GMIT
Galway Mayo Institute of Techonology

Lecturer: Dr. Jenny-Lynn Ryan (jenny.ryan@gmit.ie) November 21, 2011

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1.1

Quantum Mechanics: The Interpretation War

Synoptic

I will collect dierent interpretations of Quantum Mechanics and compare them under the premise of dierent considerations. This hopefully includes a rewriting of statements into common language to make them somehow accessible to more people than just some physicists. The premise one shall be an overview of dierent interpretations but does not want to be conclusive - or better is most likely not able to be conclusive. The goal should be however, to include at least the Copenhagen Interpretation, Bells theorem, though its not strictly an interpretation (or is it?), the Transactional Interpretation (Cramer, 2001), and some of the others provided from Towler like the Many World Problem or the Decoherent Histories Approach. A premise two shall be a brief look into the structure of the dierent interpretations of QM and a try to analyse the the environment of its occurrence and the goals that lead to the interpretation. Because an interpretation is always expected a partial solution for some problem. Is it possible to set the problem into context with the interpretation of reality at the time of its proposition? A premise three shall be a look on interpretation in science at all. Science is probably always only an interpretation of a possible reality. But if everything is open for interpretation what is the actual function of science? Did science already evolve that much, that it is able to produce results that describe the true reality, but the human mind is not able to interpret this reality anymore? Is the emergence of QM an example of a new metaphor of science? Or arrived science at a state with QM similar to Ptolemy over 2000 years ago with his geocentric model of the planetary system? Possible diculties regarding discussion about QM may arise from the problem that some interpretations are just mathematically available and may have no interpretation matching the everyday experience.

1.2

Literature Research

QUANTUM MECHANICS: THE INTERPRETATION WAR

If any interpretation is available, the interpretation is possibly heavily biased because of the missing equivalent to everyday experience.

1.2

Literature Research

Towler deals already with QM in regard of its development and some background. Towler provides useful references that appear to support the subject of interpretations of QM. Zukav suggests some points what QM tries to ask. In the foreword it describes in a bullet point 1, that QM involves the subject and the object - possibly saying observer and experiment. But (Zukav, 2002) mentions also in point 2, that a lot of physicists obey only the object disjoint from the subject. Further more Zukav mentions the problem of probability and is it good to use or a disadvantage to rely on probability? Burdzy is covering the problems of probability in science. Though, it may appear that the book is deviating too much into this special subject, it may provide one or another good thought. Squires is an excellent source that covers the an overall approach to tackle the problem how conscious and physics play together. Though, the book does not claim to solve the problem of how physics is connected with the human way of perception but it delivers a great insight what problems are to expect. Mehra supplies an extra ordinary compendium about the thoughts collected from all major contributors in physics and quantum theory. As it wants to discuss the historical development in physics and may supply valuable insights in the development of QM. Penrose mentions that maths in fact developed as far that it is able to tell some truth that is not aected by supposition? Therefore, may be the apparatus of mathematics used in QM telling some truth we are not yet ready to hear or to understand? Or occurs the war of interpretation only because of the individual minds are notoriously imprecise, unreliable, and inconsistent in their judgements., as Penrose describes it conceivably (Penrose, 2005, p12). But also Ghirardis quotation of Einstein may give a hint what to do with QM The quantum question is so incredibly important and dicult that everyone should busy himself with it. (Albert Einstein)

Kai Neuhaus

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REFERENCES

REFERENCES

References
Burdzy, K. (2009), The search for certainty: On the Clash of Science and Philosophy of Probability, World Scientic, GB. Cramer, J. G. (2001), The transactional interpretation of quantum mechanics, AIP Conference Proceedings . Ghirardi, G. (2005), Sneaking a look at Gods cards: unraveling the mysteries of quantum mechanics, Princeton University Press. URL: http://books.google.com/books?id=PEpfZ3Ul8u8C Mehra, J. (1973), The physicists conception of nature, D. Reidel Publishing, Holland. Penrose, R. (2005), Road to Reality : A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe, Alfred A. Knopf Incorporated, United States. Squires, E. (1990), Conscious mind in the physical world, Adam Hilger, Bristol. Towler, M. (2009), Interpretation of quantum mechanics, Online. http://www.tcm.phy.cam.ac.uk/ ~mdt26/qmint.html. Zukav, G. (2002), The dancing Wu Li masters: an overview of the new physics, Rider, London.

Kai Neuhaus

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Appendix
Additional References Not included into wordcount.

References
Adler, S. L. (2007), Quantum Theory as an Emergent Phenomenon, Cambridge University Press, GB. Note: Abstract: Quantum mechanics is our most successful physical theory. However, it raises conceptual issues that have perplexed physicists and philosophers of science for decades. This book develops a new approach, based on the proposal that quantum theory is not a complete, nal theory, but is in fact an emergent phenomenon arising from a deeper level of dynamics. The dynamics at this deeper level are taken to be an extension of classical dynamics to non-commuting matrix variables, with cyclic permutation inside a trace used as the basic calculational tool. With plausible assumptions, quantum theory is shown to emerge as the statistical thermodynamics of this underlying theory, with the canonical commutation/anticommutation relations derived from a generalized equipartition theorem. Brownian motion corrections to this thermodynamics are argued to lead to state vector reduction and to the probabilistic interpretation of quantum theory, making contact with recent phenomenological proposals for stochastic modications to Schrodinger dynamics. Barbosa, G. & Pinto-Neto, N. (2004), Noncommutative quantum mechanics and bohms ontological interpretation, PHYSICAL REVIEW D 69(6). http://gateway.isiknowledge. com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=SerialsSolutions&SrcApp=Summon&KeyUT= 000221258900086&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=WOS. Beller, M. (1996), The conceptual and the anecdotal history of quantum mechanics, FOUNDATIONS OF PHYSICS 26(4), 545557. http://gateway.isiknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion= 2&SrcAuth=SerialsSolutions&SrcApp=Summon&KeyUT=A1996UV59300008&DestLinkType= FullRecord&DestApp=WOS. Brown, J. R. (1993a), Laboratory Of The Mind, Routledge, Hoboken. Brown, J. R. (1993b), The laboratory of the mind: thought experiments in the natural sciences, Routledge, GB. Abstrac: Thought experiments are performed in the laboratory of the mind. Beyond this metaphor it is dicult to say just what these remarkable devices for investigating nature are or how they work. Though most scientists and philosophers would admit their great importance, there has been very little serious study of them. This volume is the rst book-length investigation of thought experiments. Starting with Galileos argument on falling bodies, Brown describes numerous examples of the most inuential thought experiments from the history of science. Following this introduction to the subject, some substantial and provocative claims are made, the principle being that some thought experiments should be understood in the same way that platonists understand mathematical activity: as an intellectual grasp of an independently existing abstract realm. With its clarity of style and structure, The Laboratory of the Mind will nd readers among all philosophers of science as well as scientists who have puzzled over how thought experiments work. Brown, L. M. (2005), Feynmans Thesis-a New Approach to Quantum Theory, World Scientic Publishing Co.

Bunch, Bryan Hellemans, A. (2004), History of Science and Technology : A Browsers Guide to the Great Discoveries, Inventions, and the People Who Made Them from the Dawn of Time to Today, Houghton Miin Company Trade & Reference Division. Burdzy, K. (2009), The search for certainty: On the Clash of Science and Philosophy of Probability, World Scientic, GB. Callender, C. & Huggett, N. (2001), Physics Meets Philosophy at the Planck Scale : Contemporary Theories in Quantum Gravity: Contemporary Theories in Quantum Gravity, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Cambourne, B. (2002), The conditions of learning: Is learning natural?., Reading Teacher 55(8), 758. URL: http: // 0-search. ebscohost. com. library. gmit. ie/ login. aspx? direct= true&db= aph&AN= 6623332&site= ehost-live Cde Baca, J. & Wilbourne, P. (2004), Quantum change: Ten years later., Journal of Clinical Psychology 60(5), 531 541. URL: http: // 0-search. ebscohost. com. library. gmit. ie/ login. aspx? direct= true&db= aph&AN= 12680966&site= ehost-live Chandler, D. (2009), Statistical physics of particles/statistical physics of elds., Physics Today 62(5), 55 56. URL: http: // 0-search. ebscohost. com. library. gmit. ie/ login. aspx? direct= true&db= aph&AN= 39766443&site= ehost-live Coleman, P. & Schoeld, A. J. (2005), Quantum criticality, Nature 433(7023), 226229. http://www. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15662409. Cook, D. B. (2002), Probability and Schrodingers Mechanics, World Scientic, GB. Cramer, J. G. (2001), The transactional interpretation of quantum mechanics, AIP Conference Proceedings . De Muynck, W. M. (2002), Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, an Empiricist Approach, Kluwer Academic Publishers. Drescher, G. L. (2006), Good and real: demystifying paradoxes from physics to ethics, MIT Press, US. Faust, D. (1984), Limits of Scientic Reasoning, University of Minnesota Press, United States. Feyerabend, P. K. (1978), Against method: outline of an anarchistic theory of knowledge, Verso, London. Gaynesford, M. D. (2006), Hilary Putnam, Acumen, GB. Note: Maybe. Must check the title here. Abstract: Putnam is one of the most inuential philosophers of recent times, and his authority stretches far beyond the connes of the discipline. However, there is a considerable challenge in presenting his work both accurately and accessibly. This is due to the width and diversity of his published writings and to his frequent spells of radical re-thinking. But if we are to understand how and why philosophy is developing as it is, we need to attend to Putnams whole career. He has had a dramatic inuence on theories of meaning, semantic content, and the nature of mental phenomena, on interpretations of quantum mechanics, theory-change, logic and mathematics, and on what shape we should desire for future philosophy. By presenting the whole of his career within its historical context, de Gaynesford discovers a basic unity in his work, achieved through repeated engagements with a small set of hard problems. By foregrounding this integrity, the book oers an account of his philosophy that is both true to Putnam and helpful to readers of his work. 2

Ghirardi, G. (2005), Sneaking a look at Gods cards: unraveling the mysteries of quantum mechanics, Princeton University Press. URL: http://books.google.com/books?id=PEpfZ3Ul8u8C Grimes, D. M. & Grimes, C. A. (2002), The electromagnetic origin of quantum theory and light, World Scientic, GB. Note: The abstract looks heavy, but maybe it has other informations too. Abstract: This text presents a rigorous application of modern electromagnetic eld theory to atomic theory. The historical view of quantum theory was developed before four major physical principles were known, or understood. These are: (1) the standing energy that accompanies and encompasses electromagnetically active, electrically small volumes; (2) the power-frequency relationships in nonlinear systems; (3) the possible directivity of modal elds; and (4) electron nonlocality. The inclusion of these four eects yields a deterministic interpretation of quantum theory that is consistent with those of other sciences; the quixotic axioms of the historically accepted view of quantum theory are not needed. The new interpretation preserves the full applicability of electromagnetic eld theory within atoms, showing that the status of all physical phenomena - including that within atoms - at any instant does completely specify the status an instant later. Healey, R. A. & Hellman, G. (1998), Quantum Measurement : Beyond Paradox: Beyond Paradox, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis. Abstracte: With relativity theory, quantum mechanics stands as the conceptual foundation of modern physics. It forms the basis by which we understand the minute workings of the subatomic world. But at its core lies a paradox: standard conceptions of quantum mechanics imply that the results of many of the actual measurements supporting and verifying quantum mechanical theory can have no denite outcomes. Some quantity such as position or momentum is always indenite on a quantum system; and if an indenite quantity is measured, the macroscopic state of the measuring apparatus that is supposed to record the outcome instead becomes indenite itself. In Quantum Measurement, editors Richard A. Healey and Georey Hellman marshal the resources of leading physicists and philosophers of science, skillfully joining their insights and ingenuity to yield some of the most innovative and altogether promising thought to date on this enigmatic issue. Throughout this authoritative volume, these authors explore the subtle and varied ways in which quantum mechanics informs the conditions, indeed the very process, of quantum measurement. The latest work on decoherence phenomena is combined with sophisticated modal interpretations, suggesting that denite values might be systematically attributed to a limited class of quantum observables while gauging the correspondent impact of environmental interactions on quantum interference terms. What emerges from this careful synthesis is a theoretically powerful and energetic new approach to the measurement dilemma, one that furthers our conceptual understanding of the fundamental interconnections between micro- and macroscopic systems, and that strives, ultimately, to describe and dene within a unied quantum mechanical framework the breadth of our physical reality.Contributors: Guido Bacciagaluppi, Jerey Bub, Rob Clifton, Michael Dickson, Dennis Dieks, Andrew Elby, Meir Hemmo, Anthony J. Leggett, Bradley Monton, Abner Shimony, William G. Unruh, and Pieter E. Vermaas. Hegel, G. W. F. & Wallace, W. (1975), Hegels logic: being part one of Encyclopaedia of the philosophical sciences (1830), Clarendon Press, Oxford. Note: Could give some hints about denitions. Hodgson, P. (2009), Quantum mechanics and its interpretations, LOGOS-A JOURNAL OF CATHOLIC THOUGHT AND CULTURE 12(1), 6278. Note: The keywords = RELIGION. But the title?

Hodgson, P. E. (2005), Theology and Modern Physics, Ashgate Publishing Group, England. Note: The title suggests a possible input. Howie, D., Skyrms, B., Adams, E. W., Binmore, K., Buttereld, J., Diaconis, P. & Harper, W. L. (2002), Interpreting Probability : Controversies and Developments in the Early Twentieth Century: Controversies and Developments in the Early Twentieth Century, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Note: Mmm. Maybe. Abstract: This book investigates how Bayesianism as one theory of probability was discredited during the 1920s and 1930s by two British scientists and shows how the choice of a certain interpretation of probability depends on the experiences of the individuals involved. Joseph Emerson, R. L. (2005), Interpretation of quantum mechanics, Online Lectures. Accessed 19 Nov 2011. URL: http: // old. iqc. uwaterloo. ca/ ~ qipcourse/ interpret/ Kastner, R. (2006), Cramers transactional interpretation and causal loop problems, SYNTHESE 150(1), 114. http://gateway.isiknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth= SerialsSolutions&SrcApp=Summon&KeyUT=000237398000001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp= WOS. Kinch, S. (2006), Quantum mechanics as critical model: Reading nicholas mosleys hopeful monsters., Critique 47(3), 289 308. URL: http: // 0-search. ebscohost. com. library. gmit. ie/ login. aspx? direct= true&db= aph&AN= 21308905&site= ehost-live Lenk, H. (2003), Grasping Reality : An Interpretation-Realistic Epistemology, World Scientic. Epistemology = nature and scope of knowledge. McMahon, D. (2005), Quantum mechanics demystied, McGraw-Hill Professional, US. Note: Promising. Abstract: Fun format makes this complex subject easy to grasp solutions to typical problems that are explained in full detail. It is perfect for self-study or class supplement. It is great for quick review or help prepare for the Physics qualifying exam. Learn quantum mechanics at warp speed! Now anyone can master the basics of quantum mechanics - without formal training, unlimited time, or a genius IQ. In Quantum Mechanics Demystied, physicist (and student-savvy author) David McMahon provides an eective and illuminating way to learn the essentials of quantum mechanics.With Quantum Mechanics Demystied, you master the subject one step at a time - at your own speed. This unique self-teaching guide is lled with solved examples throughout, and oers problems to try at the end of each chapter to pinpoint weaknesses. A nal exam serves to reinforce concepts covered in the entire book. This fast and entertaining self-teaching course makes it much easier to - master serious quantum mechanics in easy-to-follow steps.This book cuts through the jargon and learn how to do quantum mechanics using worked examples. It helps reinforce learning and pinpoint weaknesses with questions at the end of each chapter and a comprehensive nal exam. Learn about Schrodingers equation, one dimensional scattering, Hilbert space, and the density operator. Find extensive explanations of spin and angular momentum, vector spaces, matrix mechanics, the harmonic oscillator, and the hydrogen atom. Perform better on qualifying or placement exams. Take a nal exam and grade it yourself! Clear enough for beginners, but challenging enough for those who already know something about advanced physics, Quantum Mechanics Demystied is the best self-teaching tool you can nd! McMahon, D. (2006), Quantum Mechanics Demystied, McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing. 4

Mehra, J. (1973), The physicists conception of nature, D. Reidel Publishing, Holland. Mehra, J. & Rechenberg, H. (2000), The historical development of quantum theory, Historical Development of Quantum Theory Series, Vol 1, Part 1, Springer Verlag. URL: http://books.google.ie/books?id=W5kyppVPyesC Newton, R. G. (2009), How Physics Confronts Reality : Einstein Was Correct, but Bohr Won the Game, World Scientic Pub Co Pte, GB. Nieuwenhuizen, Theo M. Spicka, V. M. B. (2007), Beyond the Quantum, World Scientic, GB. Abstract: Already Einstein could never see quantum mechanics as a complete theory. Nowadays, many researchers, including t Hooft, view quantum mechanics as a statistical description of some underlying reality. The workshop Beyond the Quantum, organized in Spring 2006 at the Lorentz Center in Leiden, The Netherlands, was one of the rst meetings completely devoted to physics that may need an explanation beyond quantum mechanics. A broad variety of subjects was covered. The present book reects this. Nikoli, H. (2005), Relativistic quantum mechanics and the bohmian interpretation, Foundations of Physics Letters 18(6), 549561. Note: Theoretical, but need to look into it. Abstract: Conventional relativistic quantum mechanics, based on the Klein-Gordon equation, does not possess a natural probabilistic interpretation in conguration space. The Bohmian interpretation, in which probabilities play a secondary role, provides a viable interpretation of relativistic quantum mechanics. We formulate the Bohmian interpretation of many-particle wave functions in a Lorentz-covariant way. In contrast with the nonrelativistic case, the relativistic Bohmian interpretation may lead to measurable predictions on particle positions even when the conventional interpretation does not lead to such predictions. Penrose, R. (2005), Road to Reality : A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe, Alfred A. Knopf Incorporated, United States. Scarani, V. & Thew, R. (2006), Quantum physics: A First Encounter - Interference, Entanglement, and Reality, Oxford University Press, UK, GB. Abstracte: Quantum physics is often perceived as a weird and abstract theory, which physicists must use in order to make correct predictions. But many recent experiments have shown that the weirdness of the theory simply mirrors the weirdness of phenomena: it is Nature itself, and not only our description of it, that behaves in an astonishing way. This book selects those, among these typical quantum phenomena, whose rigorous description requires neither the formalism, nor an important background in physics. The rst part of the book deals with the phenomenon of single-particle interference, covering the historical questions of wave-particle duality, objective randomness and the boundary between the quantum and the classical world, but also the recent idea of quantum cryptography. The second part introduces the modern theme of entanglement, by presenting two-particle interference phenomena and discussing Bells inequalities. A concise review of the main interpretations of quantum physics is provided. Squires, E. (1990), Conscious mind in the physical world, Adam Hilger, Bristol. Stenholm, S. (2009), The interpretation of quantum mechanics., AIP Conference Proceedings 1101(1), 186 191. URL: http: // 0-search. ebscohost. com. library. gmit. ie/ login. aspx? direct= true&db= aph&AN= 37044136&site= ehost-live Towler, M. (2009), Interpretation of quantum mechanics, Online. ~mdt26/qmint.html. 5 http://www.tcm.phy.cam.ac.uk/

Treiman, S. B. (1999), Odd Quantum, Princeton University Press. Note: Whats this? . Tune, A. S. (2004), Quantum theory and the resurrection of jesus., Dialog: A Journal of Theology 43(3), 166 176. Abstract: Ever since the time of Hume it has been a truism that the worldview of empirical science, and Christian assertion of the resurrection of Jesus, are antithetical to each other. Yet post-Newtonian science, and especially quantum theory, suggests the need for a reappraisal of this truism. This reappraisal will rst examine the implications of the indeterminism of the quantum world, to consider the physical possibility of Jesus resurrection. Second, an appraisal of the historical evidence will suggest the likelihood of Jesus resurrection. Finally, I will consider some implications of all this for contemporary Christian thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]. URL: http: // 0-search. ebscohost. com. library. gmit. ie/ login. aspx? direct= true&db= aph&AN= 14069347&site= ehost-live Zukav, G. (2002), The dancing Wu Li masters: an overview of the new physics, Rider, London.