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arXiv:quant-ph/0401105

Possibilities for a Causal Interpretation for Quantum Mechanics

D. H. Delphenich

Published Jan 19, 2004• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The basic physical problems that necessitated the emergence of quantum physics are summarized, along with the elements of wave mechanics and its traditional statistical interpretation. Alternative interpretations to the statistical one, such as the hydrodynamical and optical interpretations, nonlinear waves and nonlinear electrodynamics, and the conception of spacetime as an ordered medium are reviewed.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.quant-ph/0401105

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The basic physical problems that necessitated the emergence of quantum physics are summarized, along with the elements of wave mechanics and its traditional statistical interpretation. Alternative interpretations to the statistical one, such as the hydrodynamical and optical interpretations, nonlinear waves and nonlinear electrodynamics, and the conception of spacetime as an ordered medium are reviewed.
The Copenhagen interpretation has been the subject of much criticism, notably by De Broglie and Einstein, because it contradicts the principles of causality and realism. The aim of this essay is to study the wave mechanics as an alternative to traditional quantum mechanics, in the continuity of the ideas of Louis de Broglie: the pilot wave theory of De Broglie (where each particle is associated with a wave which guides it), De Broglie-Bohm theory, stochastic electrodynamics (where the stochastic character of particles is caused by the energy field of the fluctuating vacuum), and the analogies between quantum mechanics and hydrodynamics.
The theory of relativity is essentially the culmination of classical physics. Although revisions in our concepts of space and time are necessitated by both the special and general theories of relativity, the notion of causality, in which a cause precedes its effect, remains intact in the relativistic formulations of electrodynamics and mechanics and of gravitation. An upper limit is set on the speed of bodies, and of the propagation of energy, and physical quantities are often defined operationally, but once we adjust ourselves to these new rules, our representations of physical processes proceed pretty much as they did in classical physics. On the other hand, quantum theory seems to require a much more profound philosophical revision of our thought patterns. Even the viability of the usual meaning of a causal connection between one event and another is there called into question. SOME HISTORICAL BACKGROUND We begin with a brief and highly selective review of the experimental and theoretical problems that formed the conceptual backdrop to the emergence of quantum theory. We focus attention first on an important phenomenon – blackbody radiation – that was instrumental for the formulation of quantum mechanics. A blackbody is defined as a surface that absorbs all of the electromagnetic radiation that falls onto it. It is picturesquely so named since any light incident on such a body would be absorbed, making it appear black (at least at typical temperatures in our environment). A blackbody also emits radiation.
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Abstract Fundamental concepts about the structure of matter have been analyzed based on cause-and-effect relations leading to the postulates of quantum mechanics. The interpretation of the characteristics of a vacuum as properties of a universal carrier medium in terms of fluid mechanics has made it possible to select consistent models of the basic objects of condensed matter. The development of concepts of the structure of the photon and electron has been supplemented by descriptions of the processes of their production and transformation. The nature of electric charges and the picture of their interaction through volumetric interference fields have been discussed. The details of the structure of the atom, the sizes of electron orbits, and the internal characteristics of some elementary particles have been clarified. The physical nature of the quantization of matter at different dimensional and energy levels has been determined. The proposed solutions to problems of a quantum can be useful for the range of physicists dealing with problems that are fundamentally unsolvable in traditional terms.
After some historical remarks concerning Schroedinger's discovery of wave mechanics, we present a unified formalism for the mathematical description of classical and quantum-mechanical systems, utilizing elements of the theory of operator algebras. We then review some basic aspects of quantum mechanics and, in particular, of its interpretation. We attempt to clarify what Quantum Mechanics tells us about Nature when appropriate experiments are made. We discuss the importance of the mechanisms of "dephasing" and "decoherence" in associating "facts" with possible events and rendering complementary possible events mutually exclusive.
This paper deals with the problem of the interpretation of quantum mechanics, the nature of physical theory, and the future of physics. First, the question of why there are so many different interpretations of quantum mechanics proposed and accepted by outstanding quantum experts is treated. This requires a discussion of the relation between physics and philosophy and drawing a distinction between a physical formalism and a physical explanation. The Copenhagen interpretation is considered, criticized, and found to be unsatisfactory in some respects. Finally, an interpretation that contains ideas from previous interpretations but which may itself be new, is proposed. Hopefully, this is superior to the previous interpretations. It has, I believe, the advantage of logical clarity. In the process of doing this, I introduce a theory of levels of physical theory, according to which microscopic physical theory, as it develops in successive stages, becomes more and more adaptable to explaining—or at least taking cognizance of—fundamental biological or ultimately psychological phenomena.