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arXiv:quant-ph/9812042

Is the Statistical Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics Implied by the Correspondence Principle ?

Kurt Gottfried

Published Dec 16, 1998• 0 citations

Abstract

The classical limit of the Schrodinger equation implies the orthodox statistical interpretation for degrees of freedom in finite-dimensional subspaces of the full Hilbert space, but the argument presented does not imply the Born interpretation for degrees of freedom that have a classical counterpart.

DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.quant-ph/9812042

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The scope of validity of the quantum mechanical correspondence principle is discussed: for what classes of HAMILTON functions does canonical quantization give rise to a quantum theory whose equilibrium predictions tend towards the classical ones in the limit of large energies? As the rule for canonical quantization we adopt the WEYL—WIGNER map (of real phase space functions onto selfadjoint HILBERT space operators) which appears to be the simplest that guarantees commutability of quantization with continuous coordinate change in position space. Counterexamples show that there is no general validity of a correspondence principle. On the other hand, such a principle is known to hold for all physically reasonable cases.

We show that the probabilistic formalism of QM can be obtained as a special projection of classical statistical mechanics for systems with an infinite number of degrees of freedom. Such systems can be interpreted as classical fields. Thus in our approach QM is a projection of (prequantum) classical statistical field theory (PCSFT). This projection is based on the Taylor expansion of classical physical variables – maps f: Ω → R, where Ω is the infinite-dimensional Hilbert space. The space of classical statistical states consists of Gaussian measures on Ω having zero mean value and negligibly small dispersion. On one hand, the creation of such a prequantum model strongly supports attempts (first of all by Schrödinger and Einstein) to create purely field model of QM. On the other hand, it gives the possibility to go beyond QM. The main experimental prediction is that averages calculated in the mathematical formalism of QM (von Neumann’s trace formula) are only approximative averages. If predictions of PCSFT are correct then it would be possible to find deviations of experimental averages from quantum ones. 1

Any time-dependent solution of Schrödinger equation may be always correlated to a solution of Hamilton equations or to a statistical combination of their solutions; only the set of corresponding solutions is somewhat smaller (due to existence of quantization). There is not any reason to the physical interpretation according to Copenhagen alternative as Bell's inequalities are valid in the classical physics only (and not in any alternative based on Schrödinger equation). The advantage of Schrödinger equation consists then in that it enables to represent directly the time evolution of a statistical distribution of classical initial states (which is usual in collision experiments). The Schrödinger equation (without assumptions added by Bohr) may then represent the common physical theory for microscopic as well as macroscopic physical systems. However, together with the last possibility the solutions of Schrödinger equation may be helpful also in analyzing the influence of other statistically distributed properties (e.g., spin orientations or space structures) of individual matter objects forming a corresponding physical system, which goes in principle beyond the classical physics. In any case, the contemporary quantum theory represents the phenomenological approximative description of some matter characteristics only, without providing any insight into quantum mechanism emergence. In such a case it is necessary to take into account more detailed properties at least of some involved objects.

It is shown that Schrödinger's equation may be derived from three postulates. The first is a kind of statistical metamorphosis of classical mechanics, a set of two relations which are obtained from the canonical equations of particle mechanics by replacing all observables by statistical averages. The second is a local conservation law of probability with a probability current which takes the form of a gradient. The third is a principle of maximal disorder as realized by the requirement of minimal Fisher information. The rule for calculating expectation values is obtained from a fourth postulate, the requirement of energy conservation in the mean. The fact that all these basic relations of quantum theory may be derived from premises which are statistical in character is interpreted as a strong argument in favor of the statistical interpretation of quantum mechanics. The structures of quantum theory and classical statistical theories are compared, and some fundamental differences are identified.