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OALib

Collective Behavior in a Local Causal Model of Quantum Theory

Hans H. Diel

Published Jan 1, 2017• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The non-localities in quantum theory (QT) (the most famous example is expressed in the violation of Bell's inequality in experiments) impede the construction of a local causal model of QT including quantum field theory (QFT).The laws of collective behavior may be considered to be types of non-local laws: laws that apply to the collection of system components as a whole.The article presents a proposal for the treatment of the non-localities that exist in QT/QFT by the concepts of collective behavior.The basic components of the collective behavior are the spatial elements of the causal model of QT/QFT proposed by the author.

DOI
10.4236/oalib.1103898

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The non-localities in quantum theory (QT) (the most famous example is expressed in the violation of Bell's inequality in experiments) impede the construction of a local causal model of QT including quantum field theory (QFT).The laws of collective behavior may be considered to be types of non-local laws: laws that apply to the collection of system components as a whole.The article presents a proposal for the treatment of the non-localities that exist in QT/QFT by the concepts of collective behavior.The basic components of the collective behavior are the spatial elements of the causal model of QT/QFT proposed by the author.
This article presents an analysis of the extent to which local causal models or local realistic models of quantum theory (QT), including quantum field theory (QFT), are theoretically possible and practically feasible in light of the present state of these theories. Quantum physicists consider Bells famous inequality and its violation in experiments to be a strong indication that local realistic or local causal models of QT are not possible and that quantum theory as a whole is therefore not a local realistic or local causal theory. Based on a proposed definition of a "formal causal model" for a theory of physics (such as QT), this paper investigates the possibility of having a local causal model for QT. Areas of QT are identified in which the construction of a causal model is impeded because of deficiencies in the state of the respective theory. It is shown that the removal of the deficiencies can be achieved by the provision of a causal model. Whereas the construction of a causal model of QT, including QFT, appears to be feasible after the removal of certain deficiencies, the construction of a local (causal) model does not appear to be possible. As a consequence of the conclusion that local (causal) models of QT/QFT are not possible, if a strong interpretation of locality is assumed, a locality model is proposed in which the non-localities are confined to "quantum objects".
The author's attempt to construct a local causal model of quantum theory (QT) that includes quantum field theory (QFT) resulted in the identification of "quantum objects" as the elementary units of causality and locality. Quantum objects are collections of particles (including single particles) whose collective dynamics and measurement results can only be described by the laws of QT and QFT. Local causal models of quantum objects' internal dynamics are not possible if a locality is understood as a space-point locality. Within quantum objects, state transitions may occur which instantly affect the whole quantum object. The identification of quantum objects as the elementary units of causality and locality has two primary implications for a causal model of quantum objects: (1) quantum objects run autonomously with system-state update frequencies based on their local proper times and with either no or minimal dependency on external parameters. (2) The laws of physics that describe global (but relativistic) interrelationships must be translated to a causal model of interactions between quantum objects and interactions between quantum objects and the space.
The enterprise to construct a local causal model of quantum theory (QT), including quantum field theory (QFT), resulted in the identification of "quantum objects" as the elementary units of causality and locality.Quantum objects are collections of particles (including single particles) whose collective dynamics and measurement results can only be described by the laws of QT/ QFT.Quantum objects run autonomously with system state update frequency based on their local proper time and with no or minimal dependency on external parameters.The autonomy of quantum objects necessitates well-defined causal interrelationships between quantum objects and spacetime: 1) Quantum objects are embedded in space and move within space.2) In the proposed causal model, the dynamics of space is triggered by the dynamics of the quantum objects.The causal model of QT/QFT assumes discretized spacetime similar to the spacetime of causal dynamical triangulation.
Within quantum theory, we can create superpositions of different causal orders of events, and observe interference between them. This raises the question of whether quantum theory can produce results that would be impossible to replicate with any classical causal model, thereby violating a causal inequality. This would be a temporal analog of Bell inequality violation, which proves that no local hidden variable model can replicate quantum results. However, unlike the case of nonlocality, we show that quantum experiments can be simulated by a classical causal model, and therefore cannot violate a causal inequality.
It has been claimed that quantum mechanics is a non-local theory, i.e., that the predictions of quantum mechanics are at odds with a conception of the world where all the interactions are mediated by local mechanisms. The cited reason is the violation of the Bell inequality in cases where measurements are performed on quantum systems of particles that have interacted in the past. Quantum mechanics predicts that the state of the particles in such a system are correlated, a result obtained from considering a thought-experiment often known as EPR. In this thesis, I will argue that the violation of the Bell inequality in EPR forces us to either accept that causes sometimes act both backwards and forwards in time, or give up some widely-held assumptions about causal relations or the role of causal explanations. First, I will present three principles regarding causality that I take be widely accepted. I will then present the background for the claim the quantum mechanics is a non-local theory, and discuss the implications of non-local causal influences in light of the Special Theory of Relativity. One argument against a causal explanation of the EPR-correlations will be discussed, and different models for the causal structure of EPR will be assessed. I will argue that a retrocausal model – models that include instances of retrocausation, where the direction of causation is the opposite of the direction of time – is the only viable option if we want to uphold the three principles presented in chapter 1. I will discuss the plausibility of rejecting one of these principles, and argue that at least one of the can be restricted in a way that still accounts for our commitment to it. Finally, I will assess the non-local models against the retrocausal models, and argue that a retrocausal model offers interpretational advantages over the non-local alternatives.
Entanglement is a prediction of quantum mechanics that suggests that our physical laws cannot be described by a local causal model. This has led to much debate, including Einstein's famous suggestion that quantum mechanics is an incomplete theory, and we may one day discover a deeper theory that can be described by a locally causal model. However, loophole free violations of Bell inequalities demonstrate that this is not the case. Bell's theorem is independent of quantum mechanics, and it shows that any theory attempting to supplant quantum mechanics must be somehow nonlocal. Since then, there have been many experimental violations of Bell inequalities using different physical systems, culminating in three loophole-free experiments [1-3].