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Physical review. D. Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology/Physical review. D. Particles and fields

Reply to "Comment on `How to make quantum mechanics look like a hidden-variable theory and vice versa' "

Marlan O. Scully

Published Aug 15, 1985• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

Milonni reconsiders our recent work based on a singlet spin-\textonehalf{} system in terms of photon polarization correlations. His conclusions are in agreement with ours and provide a simple example showing why nonlocal hidden-variable theories are unappealing. We extend his arguments in order to emphasize that spin-\textonehalf{} physics is in some ways closer to classical intuition than that based on "few photon" physics.

DOI
10.1103/physrevd.32.1042

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Comment on "How to make quantum mechanics look like a hidden-variable theory and vice versa"

Peter W. Milonni

The hidden-variable theory considered by Scully is discussed in the context of photon polarization correlations.Received 17 January 1984DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.32.1040©1985 American Physical Society

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Milonni reconsiders our recent work based on a singlet spin-\textonehalf{} system in terms of photon polarization correlations. His conclusions are in agreement with ours and provide a simple example showing why nonlocal hidden-variable theories are unappealing. We extend his arguments in order to emphasize that spin-\textonehalf{} physics is in some ways closer to classical intuition than that based on "few photon" physics.
The quantum theory of a singlet spin-\textonehalf{} system is developed in terms of angular variables using a quantum-distribution-function technique. These calculations demonstrate a much closer correspondence between quantum mechanics and certain hidden-variable theories than was previously appreciated. It is found that a new type of hidden-variable theory is suggested by the quantum-distribution-function treatment of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen-Bohm spin-spin correlation problem which is in agreement with quantum theory but is "nonlocal."
Any theory whatsoever which, in all circumstances, attributes definite properties to non-interacting physical objects necessarily violates some of the predictions of quantum mechanics. The very existence of the hidden variables theories should, however, prompt to have a second look at the problem. The theory necessarily implies the existence of a violent nonlocality effect which, as a matter of fact, may reasonably be considered as similar to—and even more surprising than—the nonseparability of the orthodox theory. The simultaneous existence of non-separability effects and of the principle that the velocity of propagation of interactions is finite raises nontrivial conceptual problems. One possible way to study these problems is to make use of the fact that hidden variables theories exist which reproduce correctly the verifiable predictions of quantum mechanics. For the ensembles the expectation values coincide, of course, with the observed value.