Abstract The enormous success of the Standard Model of particle physics has clearly established quantum fields as the fundamental elements of reality of the universe unveiled to us so far. Here we present for the first time a thorough derivation of the wavefunction of a nonrelativistic quantum state directly as a physically real matrix element in the quantum field theory. Consequently, the debate about whether the wavefunction is real or epistemic can now be reasonably put to rest and nonrelativistic quantum mechanics can well be on its way as a genuine theory. This significant development in our understanding of quantum mechanics has lasting theoretical and practical implications for quantum information, computing, cryptography, and relevant technology as establishing the reality of the wavefunction immediately establishes the reality of qubits.
Abstract The enormous success of the Standard Model of particle physics has clearly established quantum fields as the fundamental elements of reality of the universe unveiled to us so far. Here we present for the first time a thorough derivation of the wavefunction of a nonrelativistic quantum state directly as a physically real matrix element in the quantum field theory. Consequently, the debate about whether the wavefunction is real or epistemic can now be reasonably put to rest and nonrelativistic quantum mechanics can well be on its way as a genuine theory. This significant development in our understanding of quantum mechanics has lasting theoretical and practical implications for quantum information, computing, cryptography, and relevant technology as establishing the reality of the wavefunction immediately establishes the reality of qubits.
We present a formulation of quantum field theory based entirely on real numbers, which we call real quantum field theory (RQFT). The construction is obtained from the standard complex-number formulation by replacing the imaginary unit i with a matrix J throughout all formulas. Here J is the real 2x2 matrix satisfying the condition J^2=-1. This extends the recently developed formulation of real quantum mechanics based on the real Kähler space to systems with infinitely many degrees of freedom. As the basic example, we construct the RQFT for a scalar field. We define a field operator acting on the real Kähler analogue of the bosonic Fock space. This operator satisfies the Klein-Gordon equation and the J-form of canonical commutation relation. To construct the RQFT we develop the corresponding J-calculus. In particular, we introduce the direct and inverse J-Fourier transforms and the associated J-valued distributions. In RQFT, the usual unitarity condition for the complex S-matrix is replaced by the statement that the real scattering operator is both orthogonal and symplectic. The physical observables in RQFT coincide with those of ordinary QFT. Thus RQFT does not change the physical predictions of scalar QFT, but provides an equivalent formulation. We explore the possibility of purely real formulations of the Standard Model of elementary particles. We show that it does admit this formulation and the resulting theory has ortho-symplectic symmetry. The choice of the Standard Model as the testbed for exploring the possibility of purely real formulations is related with the fact it provides a realistic description of all known fundamental particles. The real formulation of the Standard Model naturally suggests a possible exit beyond the Standard Model. In particular, we consider the implications of breaking the J-symmetry as a marker for new physics.
Based on a number of experimentally verified physical observations, it is argued that the standard principles of quantum mechanics should be applied to the Universe as a whole. Thus, a paradigm is proposed in which the entire Universe is represented by a pure state wavefunction contained in a factorisable Hilbert space of enormous dimension, and where this statevector is developed by successive applications of operators that correspond to unitary rotations and Hermitian tests. Moreover, because by definition the Universe contains everything, it is argued that these operators must be chosen self-referentially; the overall dynamics of the system is envisaged to be analogous to a gigantic, self-governing, quantum computation. The issue of how the Universe could choose these operators without requiring or referring to a fictitious external observer is addressed. The processes by which conventional physics might be recovered from this fundamental, mathematical and global description of reality are particularly investigated. Specifically, it is demonstrated that by considering the changing properties, separabilities and factorisations of both the state and the operators as the Universe proceeds though a sequence of discrete computations, familiar notions such as classical distinguishability, particle physics, space, time, special relativity and endo-physical experiments can all begin to emerge from the proposed picture. A pregeometric vision of cosmology is therefore discussed, with all of physics ultimately arising from the relationships occurring between the elements of the underlying mathematical structure.
Entanglement has long been the subject of discussion by philosophers of quantum theory, and has recently come to play an essential role for physicists in their development of quantum information theory. In this paper we show how the formalism of algebraic quantum field theory (AQFT) provides a rigorous framework within which to analyze entanglement in the context of a fully relativistic formulation of quantum theory. What emerges from the analysis are new practical and theoretical limitations on an experimenter’s ability to perform operations on a field in one spacetime region that can disentangle its state from the state of the field in other spacelike-separated regions. These limitations show just how deeply entrenched entanglement is in relativistic quantum field theory, and yield a fresh perspective on the ways in which the theory differs conceptually from both standard nonrelativistic quantum theory and classical relativistic field theory. “...despite its conservative way of dealing with physical principles, algebraic QFT leads to a radical change of paradigm. Instead of the Newtonian view of a space-time filled with a material content one enters the reality of Leibniz created by relation (in particular inclusions) between ‘monads ’ (∼ the hyperfinite type III1 local von Neumann factors A(O) which as single algebras are nearly void of physical meaning) ” Schroer (1998, p. 302).
Quantum mechanics presents a reality that defies classical intuitions, with the universal wavefunction offering one of the most profound perspectives in modern physics. This paper delves into the mathematical structure of the universal wavefunction, its role in the Many-Worlds Interpretation, and the metaphysical implications for determinism, reality, and consciousness. By blending rigorous mathematical formalism with philosophical exploration, we investigate the conceptual and mathematical underpinnings of quantum reality and its relevance to the nature of existence. Recognizing the speculative nature of certain topics, we clearly distinguish established science from conjectural ideas. Additionally, we provide a critical analysis of various interpretations of quantum mechanics, compare their strengths and weaknesses, and discuss potential experimental tests and observable consequences of the universal wavefunction theory. This work also addresses challenges, such as the derivation of the Born rule and the interpretation of probability in the multiverse.
The Quantum Blueprint Formalism (QBF) has derived nonrelativistic quantum mechanics — the Schrödinger equation — as the circulation-dominated limit of the Mother Equation on the pre-coherent possibility space M_s (Schmieke, 2026r). That derivation operates in a finite-dimensional phase space and therefore yields quantum mechanics for a fixed number of particles. However, the Standard Model is a relativistic quantum field theory (QFT), requiring: (i) infinitely many degrees of freedom, (ii) creation and annihilation of particles, (iii) Lorentz invariance, (iv) the spin-statistics theorem, and (v) ultraviolet regulation. This paper extends the derivation to the full infinite-dimensional structure of M_s and establishes all five features as consequences of the same admissibility conditions (A1)–(A3) and the same Mother Equation. The only additional assumption is that M_s is infinite-dimensional. Second quantization, the KleinGordon and Dirac equations, the spin-statistics connection, and a natural ultraviolet cutoff all emerge without further postulates.
The process algebra has been used successfully to provide a novel formulation of quantum mechanics in which non-relativistic quantum mechanics (NRQM) emerges as an effective theory asymptotically. The process algebra is applied here to the formulation of quantum field theory. The resulting QFT is intuitive, free from divergences and eliminates the distinction between particle, field and wave. There is a finite, discrete emergent space-time on which arise emergent entities which transfer information like discrete waves and interact with measurement processes like particles. The need for second quantization is eliminated and the particle and field theories rest on a common foundation, clarifying and simplifying the relationship between the two.