In a previous paper, we obtained the functional form of quantum potential by a quasi-Newtonian approach and without appealing to the wave function. We also described briefly the characteristics of this approach to the Bohmian mechanics. In this article, we consider the quantization problem and we show that the 'eigenvalue postulate' is a natural consequence of continuity condition and there is no need for postulating that the spectrum of energy and angular momentum are eigenvalues of their relevant operators. In other words, the Bohmian mechanics predicts the 'eigenvalue postulate'.
In a previous paper, we obtained the functional form of quantum potential by a quasi-Newtonian approach and without appealing to the wave function. We also described briefly the characteristics of this approach to the Bohmian mechanics. In this article, we consider the quantization problem and we show that the 'eigenvalue postulate' is a natural consequence of continuity condition and there is no need for postulating that the spectrum of energy and angular momentum are eigenvalues of their relevant operators. In other words, the Bohmian mechanics predicts the 'eigenvalue postulate'.
In this article, we investigate Bohm's view of quantum theory, especially Bohm's quantum potential, from a new perspective. We develop a quasi-Newtonian approach to Bohmian mechanics. We show that to arrive at Bohmian formulation of quantum mechanics, there is no necessity to start from the Schrödinger equation. We also obtain an equation that restricts the possible forms of quantum potential and determines the functional form of it without appealing to the wave function and the Schrödinger equation. Finally, we discuss about the significance of quantum potential in the conceptual structure of quantum theory.
Bohmian mechanics is the most naively obvious embedding imaginable of Schr\\"odinger's equation into a completely coherent physical theory. It describes a world in which particles move in a highly non-Newtonian sort of way, one which may at first appear to have little to do with the spectrum of predictions of quantum mechanics. It turns out, however, that as a consequence of the defining dynamical equations of Bohmian mechanics, when a system has wave function \\psi its configuration is typically random, with probability density \\rho given by |\\psi|^2, the quantum equilibrium distribution. It also turns out that the entire quantum formalism, operators as observables and all the rest, is a consequence of Bohmian mechanics.
Bohmian mechanics is the most naively obvious embedding imaginable of Schrödinger’s equation into a completely coherent physical theory. It describes a world in which particles move in a highly non-Newtonian sort of way, one which may at first appear to have little to do with the spectrum of predictions of quantum mechanics. It turns out, however, that as a consequence of the defining dynamical equations of Bohmian mechanics, when a system has wave function ψ its configuration is typically random, with probability density ρ given by |ψ|², the quantum equilibrium distribution. It also turns out that the entire quantum formalism, operators as observables and all the rest, naturally emerges in Bohmian mechanics from the analysis of “measurements.” This analysis reveals the status of operators as observables in the description of quantum phenomena, and facilitates a clear view of the range of applicability of the usual quantum mechanical formulas.
Bohmian mechanics as formulated originally in 1952, has been useful in the implementation of numerical methods applied to quantum mechanics. The scientific community though has had ever since a critical thought about it. Therefore, there are still points to be clarified and rectified. The two main problems are basically: Bohmian mechanics gives a privilege role to the position representation. Secondly, the current interpretation of Bohmian trajectories has been recently proven wrong. In this context, in Chapter 2, new complex Bohmian quantities are defined; so that they allow the capacity to formulate Bohmian mechanics in any arbitrary continuous representation, for instance, the momentum representation. This Chapter is fully based on two articles, regarding the proposed complex Bohmian formulation and its extension into momentum space. Chapter 3 deals with a redefinition and reinterpretation of the Bohmian trajectories from the handling of the continuity equation, this is done without any need of additional postulates or interpretations. Also, it is proved that Bohmian mechanics is actually more than a projective aspect of the Wigner function. As a third point, Chapter 4 presents a sytematic treatment of the hydrodynamic scheme of Bohmian mechanics. Then, a brief summary of the transport equations in Bohmian mechanics is done. Next, a unified hydrodynamic treatment is found for the Bohmian mechanics. This treatment is useful to sketch, a Bohmian treatment to efficiently find the steady value of the transmission integral. In Chapter 5 conclusions of this thesis are drawn.
The theory of discrete extension, introduced here, demonstrates that various re-sults from elementary, non-relativistic quantum mechanics can be obtained without recourse to eigenvalue problems, operators, or state vectors in Hilbert space. Us-ing a mathematical structure similar to that of Newtonian mechanics, the theory generates correct, quasi-discrete values of action increments and energy levels for bound states of quantum-level systems. Quantization of the harmonic oscillator provides a simple illustration. Like Newtonian mechanics the theory provides intuitive conceptualizations for basic entities and kinematics. However, in place of the classical concepts of particle and field, the non-classical, unitary concept of a discretely extended ob-ject emerges from the theory as an alternative characterization of the nature of quantum-level entities. Because such an object is well-defined and unitary, the theory avoids the dilemmas of wave-particle dualism and complementarity. The theory offers insight into the nature of a number of quantum effects such as the zero-point energy of a harmonic oscillator. It also makes a number of testable predictions that distinguish it from standard quantum theory and from Bohmian mechanics.
In this paper, I describe a general strategy for deriving Newtonian mechanics from Bohm’s theory in the classical macroscopic regime. The strategy is based on two main steps: (i) the use of open systems, leading to the formation of independent subsystems; (ii) the analysis of the quantum potential for the emergent subsystems. The first step leads to and explains (within the Bohmian framework) the well-known phenomenon of decoherence. The second one provides a precise criterion for the emergence of Newtonian trajectories. In particular, I will show that, under reasonable classicality conditions, the quantum potential of the emergent subsystems becomes negligible. As a consequence, these systems will follow an approximately Newtonian dynamics.