We summarize a new realist interpretation of quantum theory that builds on the existing physical structure of the theory and allows experiments to have definite outcomes, but leaves the theory's basic dynamical content essentially intact. Much as classical systems have specific states that evolve along definite trajectories through configuration spaces, the traditional formulation of quantum theory asserts that closed quantum systems have specific states that evolve unitarily along definite trajectories through Hilbert spaces, and our interpretation extends this intuitive picture of states and Hilbert-space trajectories to the case of open quantum systems as well. Our interpretation---which we claim is ultimately compatible with Lorentz invariance---reformulates wave-function collapse in terms of an underlying interpolating dynamics, makes it possible to derive the Born rule from deeper principles, and resolves several open questions regarding ontological stability and dynamics.
We summarize a new realist interpretation of quantum theory that builds on the existing physical structure of the theory and allows experiments to have definite outcomes, but leaves the theory's basic dynamical content essentially intact. Much as classical systems have specific states that evolve along definite trajectories through configuration spaces, the traditional formulation of quantum theory asserts that closed quantum systems have specific states that evolve unitarily along definite trajectories through Hilbert spaces, and our interpretation extends this intuitive picture of states and Hilbert-space trajectories to the case of open quantum systems as well. Our interpretation---which we claim is ultimately compatible with Lorentz invariance---reformulates wave-function collapse in terms of an underlying interpolating dynamics, makes it possible to derive the Born rule from deeper principles, and resolves several open questions regarding ontological stability and dynamics.
We introduce a realist, unextravagant interpretation of quantum theory that builds on the existing physical structure of the theory and allows experiments to have definite outcomes, but leaves the theory's basic dynamical content essentially intact. Much as classical systems have specific states that evolve along definite trajectories through configuration spaces, the traditional formulation of quantum theory asserts that closed quantum systems have specific states that evolve unitarily along definite trajectories through Hilbert spaces, and our interpretation extends this intuitive picture of states and Hilbert-space trajectories to the case of open quantum systems as well. We provide independent justification for the partial-trace operation for density matrices, reformulate wave-function collapse in terms of an underlying interpolating dynamics, derive the Born rule from deeper principles, resolve several open questions regarding ontological stability and dynamics, address a number of familiar no-go theorems, and argue that our interpretation is ultimately compatible with Lorentz invariance. Along the way, we also investigate a number of unexplored features of quantum theory, including an interesting geometrical structure---which we call subsystem space---that we believe merits further study. We include an appendix that briefly reviews the traditional Copenhagen interpretation and the measurement problem of quantum theory, as well as the instrumentalist approach and a collection of foundational theorems not otherwise discussed in the main text.
This article examines the scope and limitations of quantum mechanics in its Schrödinger and Dirac formulations. Quantum theory provides an extraordinarily precise description of how physical states evolve, interfere, and produce measurable probabilities. However, like other foundational theories, it presupposes a specific mathematical structure—complex Hilbert spaces, linear unitary dynamics, an external time parameter, and the Born rule—that it does not itself explain. The work argues that quantum mechanics answers the question of how quantum states behave, but not the deeper question of why physical reality admits a state-based, probabilistic description at all. To address this missing level of explanation, the article places quantum mechanics within the broader framework of the Thermodynamic Imperative of Order (TIO) and the Granular Entropic Program (GEP). Within this framework, quantum states are interpreted as emergent, statistically stable macroscopic representations of typical correlations in high-dimensional configuration spaces. Linearity, unitarity, and the Born rule arise as necessary consequences of measure concentration and stability, rather than as fundamental postulates. The article does not propose modifications to quantum mechanics. Instead, it clarifies the domain of validity of the theory and explains why a framework with its structure and remarkable universality must exist if stable quantum phenomena are to be observed at all.
A Mathematics-First Interpretation of Quantum Histories and Experienced Reality — Minimum Theory v1.4 Abstract Quantum mechanics predicts experimental outcomes with extraordinary precision, yet foundational disagreement persists regarding what its mathematical formalisms represent beyond themselves. Surfing the Quantum Wave Functioninvestigates a minimalist, structural-realist formulation: that the complete universal quantum mathematical structure is ontologically sufficient to constitute perceived physical reality without postulating auxiliary physical substances, hidden variables, or dynamical collapse mechanisms. Evolved self-aware observer instances, denoted 𝐻𝑖, are modeled as internal relational sub-structures within this invariant mathematical object. At each experiential coordinate, 𝐻𝑖 occupies a condition 𝑃𝑡, relationally indexed as the present reference point 𝑅𝑖(𝑃𝑡). Within an admissible consistent-histories framework ℱ accommodating the relevant macroscopic records, the histories compatible with that reference point form a framework-conditioned subset Γ𝑖,ℱ𝐶(𝑃𝑡), inducing past and future condition bundles 𝐶𝑖,ℱ−(𝑃𝑡) and 𝐶𝑖,ℱ+(𝑃𝑡). “Surfing” designates the observer-relative succession relation among experienced reference structures connected by admissible quantum histories and record continuity; it does not denote the dynamic motion of a consciousness or spotlight across the state space. This framework reframes state-vector reduction, Wheeler’s delayed choice, and Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen (EPR) correlations as relational geometric features of an invariant universal quantum structure rather than dynamical disruptions or superluminal signaling mechanisms. The minimum theory (Tier 1) claims no new empirical predictions, does not resolve the singular-experience problem of identity selection, and does not derive the Born rule ab initio. Instead, it provides an exact structural reconstruction of no-collapse quantum mechanics by formalizing experiential indexicality and history compatib
Formulations of quantum mechanics (QM) can be characterized as realistic, operationalist, or a combination of the two. In this paper a realistic theory is defined as describing a closed system entirely by means of entities and concepts pertaining to the system. An operationalist theory, on the other hand, requires in addition entities external to the system. A realistic formulation comprises an ontology, the set of (mathematical) entities that describe the system, and assertions, the set of correct statements (predictions) the theory makes about the objects in the ontology. Classical mechanics is the prime example of a realistic physical theory. A straightforward generalization of classical mechanics to QM is hampered by the inconsistency of quantum properties with classical logic, a circumstance that was noted many years ago by Birkhoff and von Neumann. The present realistic formulation of the histories approach originally introduced by Griffiths, which we call 'compatible quantum theory (CQT)', consists of a 'microscopic' part (MIQM), which applies to a closed quantum system of any size, and a 'macroscopic' part (MAQM), which requires the participation of a large (ideally, an infinite) system. The first (MIQM) can be fully formulated based solely on the assumption of a Hilbert space ontology and the noncontextuality of probability values, relying in an essential way on Gleason's theorem and on an application to dynamics due in large part to Nistico. Thus, the present formulation, in contrast to earlier ones, derives the Born probability formulas and the consistency (decoherence) conditions for frameworks. The microscopic theory does not, however, possess a unique corpus of assertions, but rather a multiplicity of contextual truths ('c-truths'), each one associated with a different framework. This circumstance leads us to consider the microscopic theory to be physically indeterminate and therefore incomplete, though logically coherent. The completion of the theory requires a macroscopic mechanism for selecting a physical framework, which is part of the macroscopic theory (MAQM). The selection of a physical framework involves the breaking of the microscopic 'framework symmetry', which can proceed either phenomenologically as in the standard quantum measurement theory, or more fundamentally by considering the quantum system under study to be a subsystem of a macroscopic quantum system. The decoherent histories formulation of Gell-Mann and Hartle, as well as that of Omnès, are theories of this fundamental type, where the physical framework is selected by a coarse-graining procedure in which the physical phenomenon of decoherence plays an essential role. Various well-known interpretations of QM are described from the perspective of CQT. Detailed definitions and proofs are presented in the appendices.
Abstract What are the ontological implications of quantum theories, that is, what do they tell us about the fundamental objects that make up our world? How should quantum theories make us reevaluate our classical conceptions of the basic constitution of material objects and ourselves? Is there fundamental quantum nonlocality? This book articulates several rival approaches to answering these questions, ultimately defending the wave function realist approach. Wave function realism is a way of interpreting quantum theories so that the central object they describe is the quantum wave function, interpreted as a field in an extremely high-dimensional space. According to this approach, the nonseparability and nonlocality we seem to find in quantum mechanics are ultimately manifestations of a more intuitive, separable, and local picture in higher dimensions.
We argue that quantum mechanics makes sense without such controversial postulates as the wave function collapse, the quantum probability rule and the observable postulate. We only need the existence of a wave function as a representation of a state, its dynamical evolution rule and another rather trivial postulate proposed here (Read-Off Postulate). The wave function collapse and the probability rule are replaced with intrinsic properties of the theory, i.e. decoherence and relative frequency, respectively. Interpretation of the wave function as a faithful representation of the reality naturally emerges, although quantum reality has a peculiar feature which distinguishes it from classical reality.