Quaternionic Quantum Mechanics, Trace Dynamics, and Emergent Quantum Theory

Stephen L. Adler

Steven P. Brumby, Gayatri Joshi

Jiří Souček

The new approach to quaternion quantum mechanics is given. It is shown that such a theory describes tachyons and that the quantum theory of tachyons should be a quaternionic one. This theory needs fundamental changes in basic physical assumptions and in a sense it is complementary to known physics. An important analogy between the basic notions of quaternionic and complex quantum mechanics emerges from the new scheme. The consequences for the theory of quantum and classical tachyons seem to be very important.

František Jenč

Marek Danielewski, Lucjan Sapa

We show that quaternion quantum mechanics has well-founded mathematical roots and can be derived from the model of the elastic continuum by French mathematician Augustin Cauchy, i.e., it can be regarded as representing the physical reality of elastic continuum. Starting from the Cauchy theory (classical balance equations for isotropic Cauchy-elastic material) and using the Hamilton quaternion algebra, we present a rigorous derivation of the quaternion form of the non- and relativistic wave equations. The family of the wave equations and the Poisson equation are a straightforward consequence of the quaternion representation of the Cauchy model of the elastic continuum. This is the most general kind of quantum mechanics possessing the same kind of calculus of assertions as conventional quantum mechanics. The problem of the Schrödinger equation, where imaginary ‘i’ should emerge, is solved. This interpretation is a serious attempt to describe the ontology of quantum mechanics, and demonstrates that, besides Bohmian mechanics, the complete ontological interpretations of quantum theory exists. The model can be generalized and falsified. To ensure this theory to be true, we specified problems, allowing exposing its falsity.

Jonathan Steinberg, H. Chau Nguyen, Matthias Kleinmann

Abstract We revisit the formulation of quantum mechanics over the quaternions and investigate the dynamical structure within this framework. Similar to standard complex quantum mechanics, time evolution is then mediated by a unitary operator which can be written as the exponential of the generator of time shifts. By imposing physical assumptions on the correspondence between the energy observable and the generator of time shifts, we prove that quaternionic quantum theory admits a time evolution only for systems with a quaternionic dimension of at most two. Applying the same strategy to standard complex quantum theory, we reproduce that the correspondence dictated by the Schrödinger equation is the only possible choice, up to a shift of the global phase.