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arXiv:2309.03085

The Stochastic-Quantum Theorem

Jacob A. Barandes

Published Sep 3, 2023• 9 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

This paper introduces several new classes of mathematical structures that have close connections with physics and with the theory of dynamical systems. The most general of these structures, called indivisible stochastic processes, collectively encompass many important kinds of stochastic processes, including Markov chains and random dynamical systems. This paper then states and proves a new theorem that establishes a precise correspondence between any indivisible stochastic process and a unitarily evolving quantum system. This theorem therefore leads to a new formulation of quantum theory, alongside the Hilbert-space, path-integral, and quasi-probability formulations. The theorem also provides a first-principles explanation for why quantum systems are based on the complex numbers, Hilbert spaces, linear-unitary time evolution, and the Born rule. In addition, the theorem suggests that by selecting a suitable Hilbert space, together with an appropriate choice of unitary evolution, one can simulate any indivisible stochastic process on a quantum computer, thereby potentially opening up an extensive set of novel applications for quantum computing.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2309.03085

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This paper introduces several new classes of mathematical structures that have close connections with physics and with the theory of dynamical systems. The most general of these structures, called indivisible stochastic processes, collectively encompass many important kinds of stochastic processes, including Markov chains and random dynamical systems. This paper then states and proves a new theorem that establishes a precise correspondence between any indivisible stochastic process and a unitarily evolving quantum system. This theorem therefore leads to a new formulation of quantum theory, alongside the Hilbert-space, path-integral, and quasi-probability formulations. The theorem also provides a first-principles explanation for why quantum systems are based on the complex numbers, Hilbert spaces, linear-unitary time evolution, and the Born rule. In addition, the theorem suggests that by selecting a suitable Hilbert space, together with an appropriate choice of unitary evolution, one can simulate any indivisible stochastic process on a quantum computer, thereby potentially opening up an extensive set of novel applications for quantum computing.
This paper argues that every quantum system can be understood as a sufficiently general kind of stochastic process unfolding in an old-fashioned configuration space according to ordinary notions of probability. This argument is based on an exact correspondence between the class of `indivisible' stochastic processes and quantum theory. This new stochastic-quantum correspondence demotes the wave function from a primary ontological ingredient to a secondary mathematical tool, and yields a deflationary account of exotic quantum phenomena, such as interference, decoherence, entanglement, noncommutative observables, and wave-function collapse. At a more practical level, the stochastic-quantum correspondence leads to a novel reconstruction of quantum theory, alongside the Hilbert-space, path-integral, and quasiprobability representations, and also provides a framework for using Hilbert-space methods to formulate highly generic, non-Markovian types of stochastic dynamics, with potential applications throughout the sciences.
Quantum mechanics contains certain novel mathematical concepts. Among these are complex numbers, Hilbert spaces with their unitary and self-adjoint operators, states represented by complex vectors, superpositions of states, collapse of wave functions, Born's rule for probabilities and others. If we accept that quantum mechanics is probabilistic, then these concepts can be derived and they become secondary. In this work, we begin with what we call a conditional stochastic process, which is based on real numbers and probabilities. As we shall see, such processes are defined by three simple axioms. We then use conditional stochastic processes to derive quantum mechanics by employing a correspondence called a dictionary. We also show that the converse holds. That is, beginning with a quantum system, we employ the dictionary to derive a conditional stochastic process.
Abstract In this work we study the unitary time-evolutions of quantum systems defined on infinite-dimensional separable time-dependent Hilbert spaces. Two possible cases are considered: a quantum system defined on a stochastic interval and another one defined on a Hilbert space with stochastic integration measure (stochastic time-dependent scalar product). The formulations of the two problems and a comparison with the general theory of open quantum systems are discussed. Possible physical applications of the situations considered are analyzed.
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 paper presents self-contained, constructive proofs of two new theorems about stochastic matrices, with direct relevance to quantum theory. The first theorem, herein called the Born Representation Theorem, shows that each entry of any stochastic matrix can be expressed as the trace of a pairwise product of matrices, where the first factor in the pairwise product belongs to a positive-operator-valued measure (POVM) and the second factor belongs to a projection-valued measure (PVM). As its name suggests, this theorem entails that the entries of any stochastic matrix can be expressed in terms of a generalized version of the quantum-theoretic Born rule. It follows as a corollary that if the POVM in this first theorem is a PVM, then the stochastic matrix is unistochastic, meaning that its entries are each the modulus square of the corresponding entry of a unitary matrix of the same size. The second theorem proved in this paper, called the Unistochastic Theorem, then shows that by dilating the underlying vector space by a bounded number of additional dimensions if necessary, each entry of any stochastic matrix can be expressed in terms of the trace of a pairwise product for which both factors belong to PVMs, and can thus be derived via marginalization from a larger unistochastic matrix. This second theorem therefore establishes a kind of primacy of unistochastic matrices over stochastic matrices, and hints at a close connection with unitary time evolution in quantum theory. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of potential applications to discrete-time deterministic processes and Markov chains.
Why does quantum theory need the complex numbers? With a view toward answering this question, I argue that the usual Hilbert-space formalism is a special case of the general method of Markovian embeddings. I then describe the `indivisible interpretation' of quantum theory, according to which a quantum system can be regarded as an `indivisible' stochastic process unfolding in an old-fashioned configuration space, with wave functions and other exotic Hilbert-space ingredients demoted from having an ontological status. The complex numbers end up being necessary to ensure that the Hilbert-space formalism is indeed a Markovian embedding.