Abstract Careful considerations concerning the interpretation of quantum mechanics serves not only for a better philosophical understanding of the physical world, but can also be instrumental for model building. After a resume of the author’s general views and their mathematical support, it is shown what new insights can be gained, in principle, concerning features such as the Standard Model of the elementary particles and the search for new approaches to bring he gravitational force in line with quantum mechanics. Questions to be asked include the cure for the formal non-convergence of renormalised perturbation expansions, the necessary discreteness of physical variables at the Planck scale, and the need to reconcile these with diffeomorphism invariance in General Relativity. Finally, a program is proposed to attempt to derive the propagation laws for cellular automaton models of the universe.
Abstract Careful considerations concerning the interpretation of quantum mechanics serves not only for a better philosophical understanding of the physical world, but can also be instrumental for model building. After a resume of the author’s general views and their mathematical support, it is shown what new insights can be gained, in principle, concerning features such as the Standard Model of the elementary particles and the search for new approaches to bring he gravitational force in line with quantum mechanics. Questions to be asked include the cure for the formal non-convergence of renormalised perturbation expansions, the necessary discreteness of physical variables at the Planck scale, and the need to reconcile these with diffeomorphism invariance in General Relativity. Finally, a program is proposed to attempt to derive the propagation laws for cellular automaton models of the universe.
When investigating theories at the tiniest conceivable scales in nature,
quantum logic is taking over from logic in the minds of almost
all researchers today. Dissatisfied, the author investigated how one can look
at things differently. This report is an overview of older material, but also
contains many new observations and calculations. Quantum mechanics is looked
upon as a tool, not as a theory. Examples are displayed of models that are
classical in essence, but can be analysed by the use of quantum techniques, and
we argue that even the Standard Model, together with gravitational
interactions, may be viewed as a quantum mechanical approach to analyse a
system that could be classical at its core. We then explain how these
apparently heretic thoughts can be reconciled with Bell's theorem and the usual
objections voiced against the notion of 'super determinism'. Our proposal would
eradicate the collapse problem and the measurement problem.
When investigating theories at the tiniest conceivable scales in nature, almost all researchers today revert to the quantum language, accepting the verdict from the Copenhagen doctrine that the only way to describe what is going on will always involve states in Hilbert space, controlled by operator equations. Returning to classical, that is, non quantum mechanical, descriptions will be forever impossible, unless one accepts some extremely contrived theoretical constructions that may or may not reproduce the quantum mechanical phenomena observed in experiments. Dissatisfied, this author investigated how one can look at things differently. This book is an overview of older material, but also contains many new observations and calculations. Quantum mechanics is looked upon as a tool, not as a theory. Examples are displayed of models that are classical in essence, but can be analysed by the use of quantum techniques, and we argue that even the Standard Model, together with gravitational interactions, might be viewed as a quantum mechanical approach to analyse a system that could be classical at its core. We explain how such thoughts can conceivably be reconciled with Bell's theorem, and how the usual objections voiced against the notion of `superdeterminism' can be overcome, at least in principle. Our proposal would eradicate the collapse problem and the measurement problem. Even the existence of an "arrow of time" can perhaps be explained in a more elegant way than usual. Discussions added in v3: the role of the gravitational force, a mathematical physics definition of free will, and an unconventional view on the arrow of time, amongst others.
Despite its successes, quantum mechanics (QM) has remained mysterious to all who have encountered it. Starting with Bohr and progressing into the present, the departure from intuitive, physical reality has widened. The connection between QM and reality is more than just a “philosophical” issue. It reveals that QM is not a correct or complete theory of the physical world and that inescapable internal inconsistencies and incongruities arise when attempts are made to treat it as physical as opposed to a purely mathematical “tool.” Some of these issues are discussed in a review by F. Laloe [Am. J. Phys. 69, 655 (2001)]. In an attempt to provide some physical insight into atomic problems and starting with the same essential physics as Bohr of e moving in the Coulombic field of the proton and the wave equation as modified by Schrodinger, a classical approach is explored that yields a remarkably accurate model and provides insight into physics on the atomic level. The proverbial view, deeply seated in the wave-particle duality notion, that there is no large-scale physical counterpart to the nature of the electron may not be correct. Physical laws and intuition may be restored when dealing with the wave equation and quantummechanical problems. Specifically, a theory of classical quantum mechanics (CQM) is derived from first principles that successfully applies physical laws on all scales. Rather than using the postulated Schrodinger boundary condition “Ψ → 0 as r → ∞,” which leads to a purely mathematical model of the electron, the constraint is based on experimental observation. Using Maxwell’s equations, the classical wave equation is solved with the constraint that the bound (n = 1)state electron cannot radiate energy. By further application of Maxwell’s equations to electromagnetic and gravitational fields at particle production, the Schwarzschild metric is derived from the classical wave equation, which modifies general relativity to include conservation of spacetime in addition to momentum and matter/energy. The result gives a natural relationship among Maxwell’s equations, special relativity, and general relativity. CQM holds over a scale of spacetime of 85 orders of magnitude — it correctly predicts the nature of the universe from the scale of the quarks to that of the cosmos. A review is given by G. Landvogt [Internat. J. Hydrogen Energy 28, 1155 (2003)].
Currently, natural philosophy (Physics) lacks the most fundamental model and a complete set of self-consistent explanations. This article attempts to discuss several issues related to this lack. Starting from the most basic philosophical paradoxes, I deduce a physical model (the natural philosophical outlook) to describe the laws governing the operation of the universe. Based on this model, a mathematical model is established to describe the generalized diffusion behavior of a moving particle swarm, and its simple verification is carried out. In this article, the gravitational force and relativistic effects are interpreted for the first time as a statistical effect of randomly moving particles. Thus, the gravitational force and special relativistic effects are integrated into a single equation (achieved by selecting an initial wave function with a specific norm when solving it), and the cause of stable particle formation is also revealed. The derived equation and the method of acquiring the initial wave function are fully self-consistent with the hypotheses stated in the physical model, thereby also proving the reliability of the physical model to some extent. Some of these ideas may have potential value as a basis for understanding the essence of quantum mechanics, relativity and superstring theory, as well as for gaining a further understanding of nature and the manufacture of quantum computers.
After the development of a self-consistent quantum formalism nearly a century ago, there ensued a quest to understand the often counterintuitive predictions of the theory. These endeavors invariably begin with the assumption of the "truth" of the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics and then proceed to investigate the theory's implications for the physical world. One of the outcomes has been endless discussions of the quantum measurement problem, wave/particle duality, the non-locality of entangled quantum states, Schroedinger's cat, and other philosophical conundrums. In this essay, I take the point of view that quantum mechanics is a mathematical model, a human invention, and rather than pondering what the theory implies about our world, I consider the transposed question: what is it about our world that leads us to a quantum mechanical model of it? One consequence is the realization that discrete quanta, the quantum of action in particular, leads to the wave nature and statistical behavior of matter rather than the other way around.