Taking the spookiness out of quantum theory

Shamini Bundell

Santhosh Mathew

Sergey A. Rashkovskiy

In this paper I show that the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen-Bohm Gedankenexperiment and so-called entanglement of photons have a simple explanation within the framework of classical electrodynamics if we take into account the discrete (atomic) structure of the detectors and a specific nature of the light-atom interaction. In this case we do not find such a paradox as "spooky action at a distance". I show that CHSH criterion in EPRB Gedankenexperiment with classical light waves can exceed not only a maximum value S_HV=2 which is predicted by the local hidden-variable theories but also the maximum value S_QM=2.828 predicted by quantum mechanics and in this case there is no desire to construct a local hidden-variable theory.

George S. Musser

What is space? It isn't a question that most of us normally stop to ask. Space is the venue of physics; it's where things exist, where they move and take shape. Yet over the past few decades, physicists have discovered a phenomenon that operates outside the confines of space and time. The phenomenon, the ability of one particle to affect another instantly across the vastness of space appears to be almost magical. Einstein grappled with this oddity and couldn't quite resolve it, describing it as "spooky action at a distance." But this strange occurrence has direct connections to black holes, particle collisions, and even the workings of gravity. If space isn't what we thought it was, then what is it? In Spooky Action at a Distance, George Musser sets out to answer that question, offering a provocative exploration of non locality and a celebration of the scientists who are trying to understand it. Musser guides us on an epic journey of scientific discovery into the lives of experimental physicists observing particles acting in tandem, astronomers discovering galaxies that look statistically identical, and cosmologists hoping to unravel the paradoxes surrounding the big bang. Their conclusions challenge our understanding not only of space and time but of the origins of the universe and their insights are spurring profound technological innovation and suggesting a new grand unified theory of physics.

Theo van Holten

In Feynman’s “Lectures on Physics” it is observed that close to an oscillating dipole the electromagnetic field is almost quasi-static, as if retardation is absent and the speed of transmission thus would approach infinity. Within the framework of Emergent Quantum Mechanics (Em.QM) non-singular electron models are being revisited, showing similar phenomena near a droplet of charge. In the literature, the matter has been called an as yet unsolved dilemma because – like the “spooky” non-local effects of Quantum Mechanics (QM) – it seems to be in conflict with relativity theory. In the present paper, an asymptotic expansion of the electromagnetic field around a moving and deforming droplet of charge is used to investigate the matter in detail. It is concluded that Feynman’s formulae are correct, be it _after_ initial conditions of the boundary value problem have been established by a field of normal travelling waves. When such a reset has been completed, the field of travelling waves can be written as a superposition of groups of standing waves. In each standing wave system, the variables belonging to it display synchronicity, which causes the illusion of non-retarded interactions. But in fact, there are no causal relations between the singularities (such as charges) and the other field variables (such as electromagnetic forces), even though the illusion may be given that superluminal signalling takes place. The conclusions are important for the theory of Em.QM, since they show that the classical laws are able to mimic non-local phenomena.