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AIP conference proceedings

Quantum Mechanics, Nonlinear Dynamics, and Correlated Statistical Mechanics

Wm. C. McHarris

Published Jan 1, 2007• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Many of the so‐called paradoxes of orthodox quantum mechanics can be shown to have parallel, more logical interpretations in the realm of nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory. Among these are violations of Bell‐type inequalities, which in comparing “classical” mechanics with quantum mechanics implicitly compare uncorrelated and correlated statistics. During the past decade research in the field of nonextensive thermodynamics (including Tsallis entropy) has demonstrated the existence of many statistical correlations in classical, nonlinear systems. When such correlations exist, the conventional classical upper limit on statistical correlations in Bell‐type experiments can easily be raised to overlap with quantum mechanical predictions involving correlated states such as the Bell singlet state, a favorite for deriving Bell inequalities. Thus, arguments based on experimental violations of Bell‐type inequalities, which rule out the existence of “local reality,” become moot. Perhaps quantum mechanics does have a deterministic, ontological basis, albeit one based in nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory. If so, deterministic chaos could provide Einstein’s longed‐for fundamental determinism, but because chaotic systems must be interpreted statistically, this also fits in quite well with the ideas of Bohr — Einstein and Bohr both could have been correct! It should be emphasized that the concept of nonlinear dynamics and chaos underpinning quantum mechanics does not involve hidden variables, nor does the fact that chaos is deterministic interlope on the existence of free will.

DOI
10.1063/1.2713481

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Many of the so‐called paradoxes of orthodox quantum mechanics can be shown to have parallel, more logical interpretations in the realm of nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory. Among these are violations of Bell‐type inequalities, which in comparing “classical” mechanics with quantum mechanics implicitly compare uncorrelated and correlated statistics. During the past decade research in the field of nonextensive thermodynamics (including Tsallis entropy) has demonstrated the existence of many statistical correlations in classical, nonlinear systems. When such correlations exist, the conventional classical upper limit on statistical correlations in Bell‐type experiments can easily be raised to overlap with quantum mechanical predictions involving correlated states such as the Bell singlet state, a favorite for deriving Bell inequalities. Thus, arguments based on experimental violations of Bell‐type inequalities, which rule out the existence of “local reality,” become moot. Perhaps quantum mechanics does have a deterministic, ontological basis, albeit one based in nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory. If so, deterministic chaos could provide Einstein’s longed‐for fundamental determinism, but because chaotic systems must be interpreted statistically, this also fits in quite well with the ideas of Bohr — Einstein and Bohr both could have been correct! It should be emphasized that the concept of nonlinear dynamics and chaos underpinning quantum mechanics does not involve hidden variables, nor does the fact that chaos is deterministic interlope on the existence of free will.
A number of the paradoxes encountered in the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics have apparent resolutions through parallels based in nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory. An overview of these is presented, with Bell’s theorem treated in somewhat greater detail. In these conferences (both “Quantum Theory: Reconsiderations of Foundations” and “Foundations of Probability and Physics”) Bell’s theorem has already been attacked by a number of authors in a number of ways, but here I demonstrate that the so‐called “classical” (or hidden variables) side of the derivation of Bell‐type inequalities is flawed because it is usually based on standard, non‐correlated statistics. When correlated statistics (including nonextensive thermodynamics) is considered, the classical upper limit on correlations is raised, overlapping with quantum predictions using entangled states. Thus, many of the Bell‐type experiments are rendered moot in ruling out “local reality.” Nonlinear dynamics/chaos could well provide a bridge between the determinism of Einstein and the probability of the Bohr school. Possible nonlinear underpinnings for quantum mechanics could also have implications lowering the plausibility of quantum computing.
In recent years we have suggested that many of the so-called paradoxes resulting from the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics could well have more logical parallels based in nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory. Perhaps quantum mechanics might not be strictly linear as has been commonly postulated, and indeed, during the past year experimentalists have discovered signatures of chaos in a definitely quantum system. As an illustration of what can go wrong when quantum effects are forced into a linear interpretation, I examine Bell-type inequalities. In conventional derivations of such inequalities, classical systems are found to impose upper limits on the statistical correlations between, say, the properties of a pair of separated but entangled particles, whereas quantum systems allow greater correlations. Numerous experiments have upheld the quantum predictions (greater statistical correlations than allowed classically), which has led to inferences such as the instantaneous transmission of information between effectively infinitely separated particles — Einstein's "spooky action-at-a-distance," incompatible with relativity. I argue that there is nothing wrong with the quantum mechanical side of such derivations (the usual point of attack by those attempting to debunk Bell-type arguments), but implicit in the derivations on the classical side is the assumption of independent, uncorrelated particles. As a result, one is comparing uncorrelated probabilities versus conditional probabilities rather than comparing classical versus quantum mechanics, making moot the experimental inferences. Further, nonlinear classical systems are known to exhibit correlations that can easily be as great as and overlap with quantum correlations — so-called nonextensive thermodynamics with its nonadditive entropy has verified this with numerous examples. Perhaps quantum mechanics does contain fundamental nonlinear elements. Nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory could well provide a bridge between the determinism so dear to Einstein and the statisical interpretation of the Copenhagen school. Einstein and Bohr both could have been right in their debates.
Many of the paradoxes encountered in the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics can be shown to have plausible, more logical parallels in terms of nonlinear dynamics and chaos. These include the statistical exponential decay laws, interpretations of Bell's inequalities, spontaneous symmetry breaking, and perhaps diffractive behavior and even quantization itself. Many of the so-called alternative explanations of quantum mechanics have toyed with ideas that approach chaotic behavior, but as they were formulated before the advent of modern chaos theory, they remained within linear systems or at most nonlinear perturbations to linear systems; however, only strongly nonlinear systems can provide the proper parallels to the Copenhagen paradoxes. Several examples of these will be covered qualitatively. Strongly nonlinear behavior related to quantum mechanics does not involve "hidden variables," but chaos provides a bridge between the statistical behavior of quantum mechanics and deterministic behavior of classical mechanics. Perhaps both Einstein and Bohr were correct in their debates-chaos fundamentally provides the determinism so dear to Einstein, but in practice it must be interpreted statistically in the manner of Bohr.
Several of the imponderables associated with the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics have alternative, parallel explanations in terms of nonlinear dynamics and chaos. For example, an exponential law for processes such as radioactive decay can be obtained by iterating unimodal maps operating in chaotic domains, utilizing their extreme sensitivity to initial conditions. Such alternative explanations raise the question of the possibility of underlying nonlinearities in quantum mechanics. This is a ‘from the bottom up’, empirical approach to the question and will be compared with other, more theoretical, ‘from the top down’ investigations into the possibility of nonlinear extensions to quantum mechanics. Nonlinear dynamics, although deterministic, in its chaotic extreme provides only statistical information about the outcomes of state-space orbits. Thus in principle it provides the determinism so dear to Einstein; yet in practice it exhibits the probabilistic behaviour of Bohr. Perhaps Einstein and Bohr could both have been right.
We consider dynamics of hidden variables for measurements in a generalized bell-type model for a single spin using natural assumptions. The evolution of the system, which can be expressed as dynamic chaos is studied. The equilibrium state that the system evolves to asymptotically is consistent with the predictions of quantum theory. The thesis of incompleteness of quantum mechanics in dynamic interpretation and completeness in statistical interpretation are developed. Conceptual problems of quantum mechanics such as violations of Bell inequalities, negative probabilities, complementarity principle, Einstein's locality and others are discussed.
We give a counter example to show that determinism as such is in contradiction to quantum mechanics. More precisely, we consider a simple quantum system and its environment, including the measurement device, and make the assumption that the time evolution of the global system, the quantum system plus this environment, is deterministic, i. e., the time evolution is given by a dynamical trajectory from some initial conditions. From this, we prove a type of Bell inequalities which are violated by quantum mechanics, reaching the conclusion that our quantum system evolves in a non deterministic way. In order to seize the interest of this conclusion, one must realize that it cannot be reached from the present experimental violation of Bell inequalities predicted by quantum mechanics, since this violation is compatible with non-local realism.