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Aspects of Probability in Quantum Theory

Michael Dickson

Published Sep 1, 2011• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract This chapter elucidates quantum probabilities in the formal apparatus of quantum mechanics, while not taking sides about interpretive issues. A central contention is that the notion of a probability measure should not be captured in the usual classical framework, but instead in the more general framework of effect algebras. Two formulations of quantum mechanics in this framework are provided: one using projection-valued measures, another using positive-operator-valued measures. The chapter presents several versions of the Born Rule and critically examines justifications that have been proposed for the Born Rule. The chapter concludes with laying down the perennial puzzles about probability in quantum mechanics such as quantum correlations.

DOI
10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199577439.003.0007

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Abstract This chapter elucidates quantum probabilities in the formal apparatus of quantum mechanics, while not taking sides about interpretive issues. A central contention is that the notion of a probability measure should not be captured in the usual classical framework, but instead in the more general framework of effect algebras. Two formulations of quantum mechanics in this framework are provided: one using projection-valued measures, another using positive-operator-valued measures. The chapter presents several versions of the Born Rule and critically examines justifications that have been proposed for the Born Rule. The chapter concludes with laying down the perennial puzzles about probability in quantum mechanics such as quantum correlations.
Abstract Philosophical accounts of quantum theory commonly suppose that the observables of a quantum system form a Type-I factor von Neumann algebra. Such algebras always have atoms, which are minimal projection operators in the case of quantum mechanics. However, relativistic quantum field theory and the thermodynamic limit of quantum statistical mechanics make extensive use of von Neumann algebras of more general types. This chapter addresses the question whether interpretations of quantum probability devised in the usual manner continue to apply in the more general setting. Features of non-type I factor von Neumann algebras are cataloged. It is shown that these novel features do not cause the familiar formalism of quantum probability to falter, since Gleason's Theorem and the Lüders Rule can be generalized. However, the features render the problem of the interpretation of quantum probability more intricate.
The authors present briefly the basic notions of the quantum formalism: pure and mixed states; quantum observables; quantum probability; Born’s rule, superposition, and ‘state collapse’; the projection postulate (von Neumann–Lüders postulate); Dirac’s ket and bra-vector notations; elements of quantum information theory and quantum logic; Schrödinger’s and von Neumann’s equations; unitary dynamics; and positive operator valued measures. They also define the basic mathematical notions related to the quantum formalism: Hilbert space; scalar product; norm; Hermitian operator (matrix); projector; and unitary operator and adjoint operator. This chapter may be useful for newcomers to the field, but for those readers who have preliminary knowledge about quantum mechanics (QM) they can proceed directly to advanced chapters. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Abstract This chapter develops the fundamental notions and concepts of the probabilistic and statistical interpretation of quantum mechanics. It begins with a brief review of the mathematical structure given by a Hilbert space of state vectors and an algebra of observables represented by selfadjoint operators. Special emphasis is laid on the connection between the spectral representation of a selfadjoint operator and a corresponding random variable that describes the possible measurement outcomes. The chapter further introduces the concepts of a composite quantum system, of the reduced density matrix, and of entangled quantum states. A section on quantum entropies is included, as well as the mathematical formulation of the generalized theory of quantum measurements in terms of completely positive quantum operations and effects.
Abstract Many theories and models from physics are probabilistic. This observation raises several philosophical questions: What are probabilities in physics? Do they reflect objective chances which exist independently of the human mind? Or do they only express subjective credences and thus capture our own uncertainty about the world? Finally, which metaphysical lessons, if at all, can one draw from the largely probabilistic character of physics? The chapters collected in this volume address these questions and provide a detailed philosophical appraisal of the status of probabilities in all of physics. Particular emphasis is laid upon statistical physics and quantum mechanics. Many chapters reflect a desire to understand probabilities from physics as objective chances. These chances are characterized, e.g., as time-averages, as probabilities from a best system in the terms of David Lewis, or using the Boltzmannian typicality approach. Other chapters are sympathetic to a Bayesian view of probabilities in physics. The chapters about quantum mechanics elucidate the peculiar characteristics of quantum correlations and discuss strategies to justify the Born Rule. Finally, the chapters of this volume demonstrate how closely interpretive issues about probabilities are entangled with other foundational problems of physics such as the Reversibility Paradox, the ontology of the quantum world and the question whether the world is deterministic.
Abstract Logical inference leads to one of the major interpretations of probability theory called logical interpretation, in which the probability is seen as a measure of the plausibility of a logical statement under incomplete information. Assuming that our usual inference procedure is working rationally for every set of logical propositions represented in terms of commuting projectors on a given Hilbert space, we extend the logical interpretation to quantum mechanics and derive the Born rule. Our result implies that, from epistemological viewpoints, we can regard quantum mechanics as a natural extension of classical probability theory.
The predictions of quantum mechanics are probabilistic. Quantum probabilities are extracted using a postulate of the theory called the Born rule, the status of which is central to the "measurement problem" of quantum mechanics. Efforts to justify the Born rule from other physical principles, and thus elucidate the measurement process, have involved lengthy statistical or information-theoretic arguments. Here we show that Bohm's deterministic formulation of quantum mechanics allows the Born rule for measurements on a single system to be derived, without any statistical assumptions. We solve a simple example where the creation of an ensemble of identical quantum states, together with position measurements on those states, are described by Bohm's quantum dynamics. The calculated measurement outcomes agree with the Born-rule probabilities, which are thus a consequence of deterministic evolution. Our results demonstrate that quantum probabilities can emerge from simple dynamical laws alone, and they support the view that there is no underlying indeterminism in quantum phenomena.