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Journal of Modern Physics

Unravelling the Quantum Maze

María Esther Burgos

Published Jan 1, 2018• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The restoration of philosophical realism as the basis of quantum mechanics is the main aim of the present study. A spontaneous projection approach to quantum theory previously formulated achieved this goal in cases where the Hamiltonian does not depend explicitly on time. After discussing the most relevant flaws of orthodox quantum mechanics, a formulation of the spontaneous projections approach in the general case is introduced. This approach yields experimental predictions which in general coincide with those of the orthodox version and overcomes its main flaws.

DOI
10.4236/jmp.2018.98106

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The restoration of philosophical realism as the basis of quantum mechanics is the main aim of the present study. A spontaneous projection approach to quantum theory previously formulated achieved this goal in cases where the Hamiltonian does not depend explicitly on time. After discussing the most relevant flaws of orthodox quantum mechanics, a formulation of the spontaneous projections approach in the general case is introduced. This approach yields experimental predictions which in general coincide with those of the orthodox version and overcomes its main flaws.
The incompatibility of Orthodox Quantum Mechanics with philosophical realism poses a serious challenge to scientists upholding such a philosophical doctrine. The desire to find a solution to this and other conceptual problems that quantum mechanics confronts has motivated many authors to propose alternative versions to Orthodox Quantum Mechanics. One of them is the Spontaneous Projection Approach, a theory grounded on philosophical realism. It has been introduced in previous papers and, with a few exceptions, it yields experimental predictions coincident with those of Orthodox Quantum Mechanics. One of these exceptions is analyzed in detail. The difference in predictions becomes apparent in a suggested experiment which could put both theories to the test.
When compared to quantum mechanics, classical mechanics is often depicted in a specific metaphysical flavour: spatio-temporal realism or a Newtonian "background" is presented as an intrinsic fundamental classical presumption. However, the Hamiltonian formulation of classical analytical mechanics is based on abstract generalized coordinates and momenta: It is a mathematical rather than a philosophical framework. If the metaphysical assumptions ascribed to classical mechanics are dropped, then there exists a presentation in which little of the purported difference between quantum and classical mechanics remains. This presentation allows to derive the mathematics of relativistic quantum mechanics on the basis of a purely classical Hamiltonian phase space picture. It is shown that a spatio-temporal description is not a condition for but a consequence of objectivity. It requires no postulates. This is achieved by evading spatial notions and assuming nothing but time translation invariance.
Orthodox quantum mechanics is a highly successful theory despite its serious conceptual flaws. It renounces realism, implies a kind of action-at-a-distance and is incompatible with determinism. Orthodox quantum mechanics states that Schrödinger’s equation (a deterministic law) governs spontaneous processes while measurement processes are ruled by probability laws. It is well established that time dependent perturbation theory must be used for solving problems involving time. In order to account for spontaneous processes, this last theory makes use of laws valid only when measurements are performed. This incoherence seems absent from the literature.
The philosophy of quantum mechanics has often been conceived by physicists as a collection of dogmas concerning what can be measured, observed and known. To this branch of dialectics the present paper does not attempt to contribute, chiefly because it is written from the conviction that no part of science, nor any philosophy, can safely predict what may be feasible or knowable. Rather, this brief essay endeavors to expose the epistemology of quantum physics in a way which allows it to be recognized as an extension of the ordinary processes of cognition, as the continuation of a line which starts in sensory perception, leads straight through the methods of classical physics into quantum mechanics and shows no signs of terminating even there.
After a brief reference to the quantum Zeno effect, a quantum Zeno paradox is formulated. Our starting point is the usual version of Time Dependent Perturbation Theory. Although this theory is supposed to account for transitions between stationary states, we are led to conclude that such transitions cannot occur. Paraphrasing Zeno, they are nothing but illusions. Two solutions to the paradox are introduced. The first as a straightforward application of the postulates of Orthodox Quantum Mechanics; the other is derived from a Spontaneous Projection Approach to quantum mechanics previously formulated. Similarities and differences between both solutions are highlighted. A comparison between the two versions of quantum mechanics, supporting their corresponding solutions to the paradox, shines a new light on quantum weirdness. It is shown, in particular, that the solution obtained in the framework of Orthodox Quantum Mechanics is defective.