PhilSci Archive

General Relativity and the Probability Interpretation of Everett’s Relative State Formulation

Strayhorn, David (2005) General Relativity and the Probability Interpretation of Everett’s Relative State Formulation. [Preprint]

[img]
Preview
PDF
GRandMWI.pdf

Download (413kB)

Abstract

One of the primary conceptual difficulties facing the multiple worlds interpretation (MWI) of quantum mechanics is the interpretation of the Born rule measure as a probability. Given that each world in the MWI is typically envisioned as being equally “real,” a more natural rule would be to assign each of the N branches associated with a measurement the equivalent probability 1/N, rather than the probability |a|^2 prescribed by the Born rule. This approach, the “alternate projection postulate” (APP), has been paid scant attention, however, since it leads to predictions that contradict those of standard quantum mechanics. In this paper, a further modification of the MWI is presented that not only incorporates the aesthetic advantages of the APP, but also is compatible with the predictions of quantum mechanics. This further modification involves an alternative method of enumerating branches that satisfies what is termed here the “Born identity,” according to which there is not a single branch associated with a given experimental outcome, but rather more than one branch, with each branch being physically distinct and the number of branches being proportional to |a|2. In place of the assumption of the Born identity, however, a feasibility argument for the derivation of the Born identity from more fundamental field-theoretic principles (such as those provided by general relativity) is sought. In this manner, it is proposed that quantum statistics may be derived from a purely classical (general relativistic) foundation without injecting the Born rule – either directly or in disguised form – as an independent postulate.


Export/Citation: EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL
Social Networking:
Share |

Item Type: Preprint
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Strayhorn, David
Keywords: multiple worlds interpretation, geon, relative state formulation
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Probability/Statistics
Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
Depositing User: David Strayhorn
Date Deposited: 04 Oct 2005
Last Modified: 07 Oct 2010 15:13
Item ID: 2465
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Probability/Statistics
Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
Date: November 2005
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/2465

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item