Molecular Reality

Wesley C. Salmon

Giuseppe Del Re, HYLE Publications

Molecular structure (MS) has been treated as a convention or an epiphenomenon by physicists and quantum chemists interpreting the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics as the essential reality criterion in the submicroscopic world (R2 world). This paper argues that, (a) even in the R2 world there is a class of entities which are real per se, even though they cannot be separated from their material support, and MS may belong to that class; (b) MS actualizes a particular molecule from the many potentialities of a given set of nuclei and electrons, all present in the same Schrödinger equation; (c) MS is a fact established in the XIXth century, albeit as a result of circumstantial evidence (because of its belonging to the R2 world); (d) the fact that MS is known, as all objects of the atomic world, in terms of analogies with macroscopic models, is not valid grounds for questioning its reality; (e) MS is a set of topological as well as geometrical relations. All along the discussion, observability according to Bohr, Heisenberg, Feynman is taken as the essential criterion of reality in the R2 world. On its basis, quantum mechanics is by no means in conflict with the reality of molecular structure and shape. On the other hand, the question of the minimum lifetime required for a MS proper to exist should be left open, pending a detailed analysis of measurement techniques.

Jeffrey Huw Williams

Jeffrey Huw Williams

Jincheng Zhang

The prevailing interpretation of quantum mechanics, often referred to as the Copenhagen interpretation, posits a fundamental disturbance caused by measurement, collapsing the wave function and defining a definite state. This theory, termed the Molecular Reality Reconstruction Theory (MRRT), offers an alternative perspective. It argues that the observed measurement outcome represents a reconstructed reality, rather than a direct reflection of the initial, underlying molecular state. The theory proposes a framework for identifying the true, pre-measurement molecular state, drawing parallels with the quantum measurement problem. We explore the concept of a "hidden variable" associated with each molecule, suggesting that the measured outcome is a projection of this hidden variable onto a specific observable, rather than a fundamental alteration of the molecule itself. This reconstruction process is inherently probabilistic, governed by the underlying quantum mechanical framework. The central tenet of MRRT is that the observed molecular state is a consequence of this reconstruction process, and not a direct manifestation of the molecule's intrinsic properties before measurement. This framework seeks to resolve the inherent paradoxes associated with the collapse of the wave function and provides a new lens through which to understand the relationship between measurement and reality. The theory's foundation rests on the idea that the act of measurement interacts with the molecule to produce the observed result, rather than the molecule directly determining the outcome. Mathematical formalism is presented to illustrate the core concepts and relationships within this theory.

N. Poli