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Zeitschrift für Naturforschung A

On the Supposed Surrealism of Bohmian Mechanics

Lon Becker

Published Jul 1, 1997• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract In a recent paper, Englert et al. reject Bohm's reinterpretation of quantum mechanics as "surrealistic." Responses to this by Dewdney et al. and Durr et al. have generally missed the point of this somewhat strange characterization of the interpretation. In this paper I explain the experiment which is supposed to illustrate the surrealism. I argue that what is really being objected to is the non-locality of the interpretation. While this is an undesirable feature of Bohm's interpretation, it is not a feature of which the standard interpretation gives a more satisfactory account.

DOI
10.1515/zna-1997-6-712

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Let us begin with a response to the summary of the Comment by D. Durr, W. Fusseder, S. Goldstein, and N. Zanghi [1]. We are accused to not stay inside orthodox quantum but to employ a naive, largely incoherent operationalism instead. We think that this charge is not justified, because we did apply standard quantum theory correctly and also followed the rules of Bohmian Mechanics (BM) carefully. In the following we react to the more essential points of the Comment in some detail. The Comment suggests that we have conceded many virtues to BM and that we have admitted that standard quantum theory is plagued by notorious conceptual difficulties. This is not the case. On the contrary, we maintain that BM is not needed to have the Schrodinger equation embedded into a physical theory. Standard quantum theory has already clarified the significance of Schrodinger's wave function as a tool used by theoreticians to arrive at probabalistic predictions. It is quite unnecessary, and indeed dangerous, to attribute any additional meaning to the (/^-function. The semantic difference between inconsistent and surrealistic is not the issue. It is the purpose of our paper to show clearly that the interpretation of the Bohm trajectory as the real retrodicted history of the atom observed on the screen is implausible, because this trajectory can be macroscopically at variance with the detected, actual way through the interferometer. And yes, we do have a framework to talk about path detection; it is based upon the local interaction of

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Abstract In a recent paper, Englert et al. reject Bohm's reinterpretation of quantum mechanics as "surrealistic." Responses to this by Dewdney et al. and Durr et al. have generally missed the point of this somewhat strange characterization of the interpretation. In this paper I explain the experiment which is supposed to illustrate the surrealism. I argue that what is really being objected to is the non-locality of the interpretation. While this is an undesirable feature of Bohm's interpretation, it is not a feature of which the standard interpretation gives a more satisfactory account.
Let us begin with a response to the summary of the Comment by D. Durr, W. Fusseder, S. Goldstein, and N. Zanghi [1]. We are accused to not stay inside orthodox quantum but to employ a naive, largely incoherent operationalism instead. We think that this charge is not justified, because we did apply standard quantum theory correctly and also followed the rules of Bohmian Mechanics (BM) carefully. In the following we react to the more essential points of the Comment in some detail. The Comment suggests that we have conceded many virtues to BM and that we have admitted that standard quantum theory is plagued by notorious conceptual difficulties. This is not the case. On the contrary, we maintain that BM is not needed to have the Schrodinger equation embedded into a physical theory. Standard quantum theory has already clarified the significance of Schrodinger's wave function as a tool used by theoreticians to arrive at probabalistic predictions. It is quite unnecessary, and indeed dangerous, to attribute any additional meaning to the (/^-function. The semantic difference between inconsistent and surrealistic is not the issue. It is the purpose of our paper to show clearly that the interpretation of the Bohm trajectory as the real retrodicted history of the atom observed on the screen is implausible, because this trajectory can be macroscopically at variance with the detected, actual way through the interferometer. And yes, we do have a framework to talk about path detection; it is based upon the local interaction of
Since its inception Bohmian mechanics has been generally regarded as a hidden-variable theory aimed at providing an objective description of quantum phenomena. To date, this rather narrow conception of Bohm’s proposal has caused it more rejection than acceptance. Now, after 65 years of Bohmian mechanics, should still be such an interpretational aspect the prevailing appraisal? Why not favoring a more pragmatic view, as a legitimate picture of quantum mechanics, on equal footing in all respects with any other more conventional quantum picture? These questions are used here to introduce a discussion on an alternative way to deal with Bohmian mechanics at present, enhancing its aspect as an efficient and useful picture or formulation to tackle, explore, describe and explain quantum phenomena where phase and correlation ( entanglement ) are key elements. This discussion is presented through two complementary blocks. The first block is aimed at briefly revisiting the historical context that gave rise to the appearance of Bohmian mechanics, and how this approach or analogous ones have been used in different physical contexts. This discussion is used to emphasize a more pragmatic view to the detriment of the more conventional hidden-variable (ontological) approach that has been a leitmotif within the quantum foundations. The second block focuses on some particular formal aspects of Bohmian mechanics supporting the view presented here, with special emphasis on the physical meaning of the local phase field and the associated velocity field encoded within the wave function. As an illustration, a simple model of Young’s two-slit experiment is considered. The simplicity of this model allows to understand in an easy manner how the information conveyed by the Bohmian formulation relates to other more conventional concepts in quantum mechanics. This sort of pedagogical application is also aimed at showing the potential interest to introduce Bohmian mechanics in undergraduate quantum mechanics courses as a working tool rather than merely an alternative interpretation.
In this paper I describe the history of the surreal trajectories problem and argue that in fact it is not a problem for Bohm’s theory. More specifically, I argue that one can take the particle trajectories predicted by Bohm’s theory to be the actual trajectories that particles follow and that there is no reason to suppose that good particle detectors are somehow fooled in the context of the surreal trajectories experiments. Rather than showing that Bohm’s theory predicts the wrong particle trajectories or that it somehow prevents one from making reliable measurements, such experiments ultimately reveal the special role played by position and the fundamental incompatibility between Bohm’s theory and the relativity. 1 1This paper is an extension of the discussion of surreal trajectories in Barrett (1999, 127–40). That section of the book was based on talk I gave at the Quantum Mechanics Workshop at the University of Pittsburgh in the Spring of 1997. And that talk owed much