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Complexity

Chaos meets quantum mechanics: Possible nonlinear vindication of Einstein's arguments: Paradoxes of the Copenhagen Interpretation: Nonlinear Parallels

Wm. C. McHarris

Published Mar 1, 2007• 5 citations
Publisher
DOI
10.1002/cplx.20169

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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.
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.