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arXiv:1110.0549 · Modern Physics Letters A

ON THE ORIGIN OF PROBABILITY IN QUANTUM MECHANICS

Stephen D. H. Hsu

Published Apr 3, 2012• 14 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

I give a brief introduction to many worlds or "no wave function collapse" quantum mechanics, suitable for non-specialists. I then discuss the origin of probability in such formulations, distinguishing between objective and subjective notions of probability.
DOI
10.1142/s0217732312300145

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The concept of probability was prominent in the original foundations of quantum mechanics and continues to be so today. Indeed, the controversies regarding objective and subjective interpretations of probability have again become active. I argue that, although both objective and subjective probabilities have domains of relevance in QM, their roles are quite distinct. Even where both are legitimate, the objective and subjective probabilities differ, both conceptually and numerically. There are quantum probabilities that have no useful subjective interpretations, and there are subjective probabilities that cannot be realized as quantum probabilities.
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