Is quantum mechanics fundamentally consistent?

Marcoen J. T. F. Cabbolet

A fundamental question in the debate about the interpretations of quantum mechanics (QM) is whether the universe is fundamentally deterministic or fundamentally probabilistic. This self-contained paper shows for a microsystem made up of a single neutron that is initially at rest in a stationary force-free environment, that even if the individual processes by which the microsystem evolves are fundamentally deterministic as described by a strictly deterministic model of the Elementary Process Theory (EPT), then still our most precise knowledge of the outcome of a position measurement on the microsystem is fundamentally probabilistic. Generalizing, the conclusion is that the EPT is inconsistent with orthodox QM, but consistent with $ψ$-epistemic QM.

Eugene Paul Wigner

Peter Holland

Moises Enrique Benitez Alonso

This paper proposes an integrative ontological framework—termed the Self-Consistent Global Mode (SCGM) model—that addresses the conceptual gap between fundamental physics, quantum non-locality, and high-level emergent phenomenology. Drawing from relational quantum mechanics, integrated information theory, and the non-local real properties of the universe, we posit that the observable universe represents a single, self-consistent mathematical solution within a broader Hilbert space topology. Rather than treating fundamental physical laws as isolated mechanical constraints, the SCGM model formulates them as structural expressions of a fundamental, information-based "source code." Under this framework, dark matter, dark energy, and non-local quantum correlations are reinterpreted not as missing physical entities, but as boundary conditions, geometric tensions, or marginal projections between adjacent global modes of higher structural coherence. Furthermore, the paper explores how conscious observation and intentional systems might interact with these fundamental informational conduits. By framing physical reality as a hierarchical network of self-consistent modes, this model provides a non-dogmatic, logically structured foundation aimed at fostering future mathematical formalization and empirical testing regarding the nature of physical law and observer-system interactions.

Robert B. Griffiths

Quantum mechanics is one of the most fundamental yet difficult subjects in physics. Nonrelativistic quantum theory is presented here in a clear and systematic fashion, integrating Born's probabilistic interpretation with Schrödinger dynamics. Basic quantum principles are illustrated with simple examples requiring no mathematics beyond linear algebra and elementary probability theory. The quantum measurement process is consistently analyzed using fundamental quantum principles without referring to measurement. These same principles are used to resolve several of the paradoxes that have long perplexed physicists, including the double slit and Schrödinger's cat. The consistent histories formalism used here was first introduced by the author, and extended by M. Gell-Mann, J. Hartle and R. Omnès. Essential for researchers yet accessible to advanced undergraduate students in physics, chemistry, mathematics, and computer science, this book is supplementary to standard textbooks. It will also be of interest to physicists and philosophers working on the foundations of quantum mechanics.

Elias Okon, Daniel Sudarsky