Foundations of Physics

ISSN: 0015-9018

38 found

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  1.  36
    A decoherence-based approach to the classical limit in Bohm's theory.Davide Romano - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (41):1-27.
    The paper explains why the de Broglie-Bohm theory reduces to Newtonian mechanics in the macroscopic classical limit. The quantum-to-classical transition is based on three steps: (i) interaction with the environment produces effectively factorized states, leading to the formation of effective wave functions and hence decoherence; (ii) the effective wave functions selected by the environment–the pointer states of decoherence theory–will be well-localized wave packets, typically Gaussian states; (iii) the quantum potential of a Gaussian state becomes negligible under standard classicality conditions; therefore, (...)
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  2. Is the Statistical Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics ψ-Ontic or ψ-Epistemic?Mario Hubert - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (16):1-23.
    The ontological models framework distinguishes ψ-ontic from ψ-epistemic wave- functions. It is, in general, quite straightforward to categorize the wave-function of a certain quantum theory. Nevertheless, there has been a debate about the ontological status of the wave-function in the statistical interpretation of quantum mechanics: is it ψ-epistemic and incomplete or ψ-ontic and complete? I will argue that the wave- function in this interpretation is best regarded as ψ-ontic and incomplete.
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  3.  1
    Neo-classical Relativistic Mechanics Theory for Electrons that Exhibits Spin, Zitterbewegung, Dipole Moments, Wavefunctions and Dirac’s Wave Equation.James L. Beck - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (3):1-39.
    In this work, a neo-classical relativistic mechanics theory is presented where the spin of an electron is an inherent part of its world space-time path as a point particle. The fourth-order equation of motion corresponds to the same covariant Lagrangian function in proper time as in special relativity except for an additional spin energy term. The theory provides a hidden-variable model of the electron where the dynamic variables give a complete description of its motion, giving a classical mechanics explanation of (...)
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  4.  3
    The Position-Momentum Commutator as a Generalized Function: Resolution of the Apparent Discrepancy Between Continuous and Discrete Bases.Timothy B. Boykin - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (3):1-9.
    It has been known for many years that the matrix representation of the one-dimensional position-momentum commutator calculated with the position and momentum matrices in a finite basis is not proportional to the diagonal matrix, contrary to what one expects from the continuous-space commutator. This discrepancy has correctly been ascribed to the incompleteness of any finite basis, but without the details of exactly why this happens. Understanding why the discrepancy occurs requires calculating the position, momentum, and commutator matrix elements in the (...)
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  5.  1
    An Alternative to the Born Rule: Spectral Quantization.Marc Dvorak - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (3):1-25.
    We show that there is a hidden freedom in quantum many-body theory associated with overcompleteness of the time evolution through the single-particle subspace of a many-body system. To fix the freedom, an additional constraint is necessary. We argue that the appropriate constraint on the time evolution through the subspace is to quantize the propagation of entangled pairs of particles, represented by the single-particle spectral function, instead of individual particles. This solution method creates a surface that indicates the multiplicity of every (...)
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  6.  1
    Dirac Theory in Hydrodynamic Form.Luca Fabbri - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (3):1-16.
    We consider quantum mechanics written in hydrodynamic formulation for the case of relativistic spinor fields to study their velocity: within such a hydrodynamic formulation it is possible to see that the velocity as is usually defined can not actually represent the tangent vector to the trajectories of particles. We propose an alternative definition for this tangent vector and hence for the trajectories of particles, which we believe to be new and the only one possible. We discuss how these results are (...)
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  7.  2
    Information-Theoretic Interpretation of Quantum Formalism.Michel Feldmann - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (3):1-59.
    We present an information-theoretic interpretation of quantum formalism based on a Bayesian framework and devoid of any extra axiom or principle. Quantum information is construed as a technique for analyzing a logical system subject to classical constraints, based on a question-and-answer procedure. The problem is posed from a particular batch of queries while the constraints are represented by the truth table of a set of Boolean functions. The Bayesian inference technique consists in assigning a probability distribution within a real-valued probability (...)
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  8.  2
    Infrared Acceleration Radiation.Michael R. R. Good & Paul C. W. Davies - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (3):1-11.
    We present an exactly soluble electron trajectory that permits an analysis of the soft (deep infrared) radiation emitted, the existence of which has been experimentally observed during beta decay via lowest order inner bremsstrahlung. Our treatment also predicts the time evolution and temperature of the emission, and possibly the spectrum, by analogy with the closely related phenomenon of the dynamic Casimir effect.
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  9.  2
    Physical Thinking and the GHZ Theorem.Alexey Nikulov - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (3):1-22.
    Quantum mechanics is one of the most successful theories of physics. But the creators of quantum mechanics had to reject realism in order to describe some paradoxical quantum phenomena. Einstein considered the rejection of realism unacceptable, since according to his understanding, realism is the presupposition of every kind of physical thinking. The dispute about the permissibility of rejecting realism has largely determined the modern understanding of quantum theory and even led to the emergence new quantum information technologies. Many modern authors (...)
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  10.  2
    Temporal Global Correlations in Time-Symmetric Collapse Models.Pascal Rodríguez-Warnier - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (3):1-15.
    It has been recently argued that by Leifer and Pusey, and Price, that time-symmetric quantum mechanics must entail retrocausality. Adlam responds that such theories might also entail ‘spooky action at a distance’. This paper proposes a third alternative: time-symmetric quantum mechanics might entail temporal global correlations. Unlike the traditional analysis of time symmetries in quantum mechanics, which consider linear and unitary interpretations, this paper considers the time-symmetric collapse models advanced by Bedingham and Maroney. These models are specially interesting since it (...)
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  11.  5
    The Lorentz Transformation in a Fishbowl: A Comment on Cheng and Read’s “Why Not a Sound Postulate?”.Daniel Shanahan - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (3):1-22.
    In support of their contention that it is the absence of a subsisting medium that imbues the speed of light with fundamentality, Bryan Cheng and James Read discuss certain “fishbowl universes” in which physical influences evolve, not at the speed of light, but that of sound. The Lorentz transformation simulated in these sonic universes, which the authors cite from the literature of analogue gravity, is not that of Einstein, for whom an aether was “superfluous”, but that of the earlier relativity (...)
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  12.  1
    A New Organization of Quantum Theory Based on Quantum Probability.Stephen Bruce Sontz - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (3):1-35.
    Quantum probability is used to provide a new organization of basic quantum theory in a logical, axiomatic way. The principal thesis is that there is one fundamental time evolution equation in quantum theory, and this is given by a new version of Born’s Rule, which now includes both consecutive and conditional probability as it must, since science is based on correlations. A major modification of one of the standard axioms of quantum theory allows the implementation of various mathematically distinct models (...)
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  13. On the Representations of Bell’s Operators in Quantum Mechanics.S. P. Sorella - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (3):1-12.
    We point out that, when the dimension of the Hilbert space is greater than two, Bell’s operators entering the Bell-CHSH inequality do exhibit inequivalent unitary matrix representations. Although the Bell-CHSH inequality turns out to be violated, the size of the violation is different for different representations, the maximum violation being given by Tsirelson’s bound. The feature relies on a pairing mechanism between the modes of the Hilbert space of the system.
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  14.  5
    On the Emergent Origin of the Inertial Mass.Ricardo Gallego Torromé, J. M. Isidro & Pedro Fernández de Córdoba - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (3):1-11.
    In the context of a particular framework of emergent quantum mechanics, it is argued the emergent origin of the inertial mass of a physical system. Two main consequences of the theory are discussed: an emergent interpretation of the law of inertia and a derivation of the energy-time uncertainty relation.
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  15.  1
    Do We Have any Viable Solution to the Measurement Problem?Emily Adlam - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (2):1-32.
    Wallace has recently argued that a number of popular approaches to the measurement problem can’t be fully extended to relativistic quantum mechanics and quantum field theory; Wallace thus contends that as things currently stand, only the unitary-only approaches to the measurement problem are viable. However, the unitary-only approaches face serious epistemic problems which may threaten their viability as solutions, and thus we consider that it remains an urgent outstanding problem to find a viable solution to the measurement problem which can (...)
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  16.  3
    Spacetime Superoscillations and the Relativistic Quantum Potential.Yakov Bloch - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (2):1-9.
    In a recent paper (Berry in Eur J Phys 42: 015401, 2020), the boundaries of superoscillatory regions (the regions where a function oscillates faster than its fastest Fourier component) of waves described by the Helmholtz equation in a uniform medium were related to zeros of the quantum potential, arising in the Madelung formulation of quantum mechanics. We generalize this result, showing that the relativistic counterpart, which is, essentially, a Klein-Gordon equation, exhibits the same behaviour, but in spacetime, giving rise to (...)
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  17. Pointillisme à la Signac and Construction of a Quantum Fiber Bundle Over Convex Bodies.Maurice de Gosson & Charlyne de Gosson - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (2):1-27.
    We use the notion of polar duality from convex geometry and the theory of Lagrangian planes from symplectic geometry to construct a fiber bundle over ellipsoids that can be viewed as a quantum-mechanical substitute for the classical symplectic phase space. The total space of this fiber bundle consists of geometric quantum states, products of convex bodies carried by Lagrangian planes by their polar duals with respect to a second transversal Lagrangian plane. Using the theory of the John ellipsoid we relate (...)
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  18.  2
    de Broglie Normal Modes in the Madelung Fluid.Eyal Heifetz, Anirban Guha & Leo Maas - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (2):1-12.
    In an attempt to explore further the Madelung fluid-like representation of quantum mechanics, we derive the small perturbation equations of the fluid with respect to its basic states. The latter are obtained from the Madelung transform of the Schrödinger equation eigenstates. The fundamental eigenstates of de Broglie monochromatic matter waves are then shown to be mapped into the simple basic states of a fluid with constant density and velocity, where the latter is the de Broglie group velocity. The normal modes (...)
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  19.  5
    Indeterminacy in Classical Cosmology with Dark Matter.Viqar Husain & Vladimir Tasić - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (2):1-9.
    We describe a case of indeterminacy in general relativity for homogeneous and isotropic cosmologies for a class of dark energy fluids. The cosmologies are parametrized by an equation of state variable, with one instance giving the same solution as Norton’s mechanical dome. Our example goes beyond previously studied cases in that indeterminacy lies in the evolution of spacetime itself: the onset of the Big Bang is indeterminate. We show further that the indeterminacy is resolved if the dynamics is viewed relationally.
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  20.  3
    Building Spacetime from Effective Interactions Between Quantum Fluctuations.Anna Karlsson - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (2):1-32.
    We describe how a model of effective interactions between quantum fluctuations under certain assumptions can be constructed in a way so that the large-scale limit gives an effective theory that matches general relativity (GR) in vacuum regions. This is an investigation of a possible scenario of spacetime emergence from quantum interactions directly in the spacetime, and of how effective quantum behaviour might provide a useful link between detailed properties of quantum interactions and GR. The quantum fluctuations are assumed to entangle (...)
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  21.  1
    A Viable Varying Speed of Light Model in the RW Metric.Seokcheon Lee - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (2):1-9.
    The Robertson–Walker (RW) metric allows us to apply general relativity to model the behavior of the Universe as a whole (i.e., cosmology). We can properly interpret various cosmological observations, like the cosmological redshift, the Hubble parameter, geometrical distances, and so on, if we identify fundamental observers with individual galaxies. That is to say that the interpretation of observations of modern cosmology relies on the RW metric. The RW model satisfies the cosmological principle in which the 3-space always remains isotropic and (...)
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  22.  10
    Propagation of Electromagnetic Waves in Fractional Space Time Dimensions.Sami I. Muslih - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (2):1-6.
    In this paper, we investigate non-homogeneous wave equations in fractional space-time domains of space dimension _D_, \(0 and time dimension \(\beta\), \(0. We write the wave equations in terms of potential functions and non-zero source terms. For scalar source terms, the potential functions are also scalar functions, and for vector source terms, the potential functions are vector functions. We derived an expression for the wave to propagate from the source point to the observation point. The study shows that the time (...)
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  23. Understanding Modified Two-Slit Experiments Using Path Markers.Tabish Qureshi - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (2):1-9.
    Some modified two-slit interference experiments were carried out showing an apparent paradox in wave–particle duality. In a typical such experiment, the screen, where the interference pattern is supposed to be formed, is replaced by a converging lens. The converging lens forms the images of the two slits at two spatially separated detectors. It was claimed that each of these two detectors give information about which slit a photon came from, even though they come from the region of interference. These experiments (...)
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  24.  38
    A Decoherence-Based Approach to the Classical Limit in Bohm’s Theory.Davide Romano - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (2):1-27.
    The paper explains why the de Broglie–Bohm theory reduces to Newtonian mechanics in the macroscopic classical limit. The quantum-to-classical transition is based on three steps: (i) interaction with the environment produces effectively factorized states, leading to the formation of _effective wave functions_ and hence _decoherence_; (ii) the effective wave functions selected by the environment—the pointer states of decoherence theory—will be well-localized wave packets, typically Gaussian states; (iii) the quantum potential of a Gaussian state becomes negligible under standard classicality conditions; therefore, (...)
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  25.  3
    An Operational Notion of Classicality Based on Physical Principles.Shubhayan Sarkar - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (2):1-16.
    One of the basic observations of the classical world is that physical entities are real and can be distinguished from each other. However, within quantum theory, the idea of physical realism is not well established. A framework to analyse how observations in experiments can be described using some physical states of reality was recently developed, known as ontological models framework. Different principles when imposed on the ontological level give rise to different theories, the validity of which can be tested based (...)
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  26.  3
    Mathematical Formalism for Nonlocal Spontaneous Collapse in Quantum Field Theory.D. W. Snoke - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (2):1-24.
    Previous work has shown that spontaneous collapse of Fock states of identical fermions can be modeled as arising from random Rabi oscillations between two states. In this paper, a mathematical formalism is presented to incorporate this into many-body quantum field theory. This formalism allows for nonlocal collapse in the context of a relativistic system. While there is no absolute time-ordering of events, this approach allows for a coherent narrative of the collapse process.
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  27.  61
    Einstein Completeness as Categoricity.Iulian D. Toader - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (2):1-15.
    This paper provides an algebraic reconstruction of Einstein’s argument for the incompleteness of quantum mechanics – the one that he thought did not make it into the EPR paper – in order to clarify the assumptions that underlie an understanding of Einstein completeness as categoricity.
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  28.  1
    Contextual Unification of Classical and Quantum Physics.Mathias Van Den Bossche & Philippe Grangier - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (2):1-24.
    Following an article by John von Neumann on infinite tensor products, we develop the idea that the usual formalism of quantum mechanics, associated with unitary equivalence of representations, stops working when countable infinities of particles (or degrees of freedom) are encountered. This is because the dimension of the corresponding Hilbert space becomes uncountably infinite, leading to the loss of unitary equivalence, and to sectorisation. By interpreting physically this mathematical fact, we show that it provides a natural way to describe the (...)
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  29.  6
    Quantum Uncertainty Dynamics.Md Manirul Ali - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (1):1-20.
    Quantum uncertainty relations have deep-rooted significance in the formalism of quantum mechanics. Heisenberg’s uncertainty relations attracted a renewed interest for its applications in quantum information science. Following the discovery of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, Robertson derived a general form of Heisenberg’s uncertainty relations for a pair of arbitrary observables represented by Hermitian operators. In the present work, we discover a temporal version of the Heisenberg–Robertson uncertainty relations for the measurement of two observables at two different times, where the dynamical uncertainties (...)
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  30.  3
    Rekindling of de Broglie–Bohm Pilot Wave Theory in the Late Twentieth Century: A Personal Account. [REVIEW]Christopher Dewdney - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (1):1-34.
    David Bohm published his “Suggested Interpretation of Quantum Theory in Terms of Hidden Variables” some twenty five years after Louis de Broglie first presented his similar Pilot Wave theory of quantum mechanics. In the following 30 years what became known as the de Broglie–Bohm approach to quantum theory was to a large extent ignored within the physics community. Even David Bohm himself became somewhat disillusioned with the lack of impact of his interpretation of quantum theory and he directed his interest (...)
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  31.  4
    Quantum Solitodynamics: Non-linear Wave Mechanics and Pilot-Wave Theory.Aurélien Drezet - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (1):1-45.
    In 1927 Louis de Broglie proposed an alternative approach to standard quantum mechanics known as the double solution program (DSP) where particles are represented as bunched fields or solitons guided by a base (weaker) wave. DSP evolved as the famous de Broglie-Bohm pilot wave interpretation (PWI) also known as Bohmian mechanics but the general idea to use solitons guided by a base wave to reproduce the dynamics of the PWI was abandoned. Here we propose a nonlinear scalar field theory able (...)
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  32.  6
    Can a Bohmian be a Rovellian for all practical purposes?Aurélien Drezet - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (1):1-9.
    The aim of this article is to discuss the preferred basis problem in relational quantum mechanics (RQM). The issue is at the heart of quantum mechanics and we first show that the mathematical formalism of RQM is immune to recent critics concerning consistency. Moreover, we also analyse the notion of interaction in RQM and provide a for all practical purposes reading of RQM comparing it with Bohmian mechanics.
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  33.  4
    Ground State Quantum Vortex Proton Model.Peter Lynch, Kelly S. Verrall, Andrew Otto, Emily Friederick, Andrew Kaminsky, Micah Atkins & Steven C. Verrall - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (1):1-22.
    A novel photon-based proton model is developed. A proton’s ground state is assumed to be coherent to the degree that all of its mass-energy precipitates into a single uncharged spherical structure. A quantum vortex, initiated by the strong force, but sustained in the proton’s ground state by the circular Unruh effect and a spherical Rindler horizon, is proposed to confine the proton’s mass-energy in its ground state. A direct connection between the circular Unruh effect, the zitterbewegung effect, spin, and general (...)
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  34.  3
    Functors of Actions.Adam Morris & Pierros Ntelis - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (1):1-31.
    In this document, we introduce a novel formalism for any field theory and apply it to the effective field theories of large-scale structure. The new formalism is based on functors of actions composing those theories. This new formalism predicts the actionic fields. We discuss our findings in a cosmological gravitology framework. We present these results with a cosmological inference approach and give guidelines on how we can choose the best candidate between those models with some latest understanding of model selection (...)
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  35.  1
    Ultra–Cold Many–Body Systems and Phenomenology of Gravity Theories with Compact Dimensions.H. Ríos, A. Camacho & S. Gutiérrez - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (1):1-13.
    The detection of the number of extra–compact dimensions contained in some gravitational models is analyzed resorting to the discontinuity of the specific heat at the critical temperature of a Bose–Einstein condensate. It is shown that the function relating the number of particles and this discontinuity defines a segment of a straight line whose slope depends upon the number of extra–compact dimensions. The experimental feasibility of the proposal is also considered.
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  36.  18
    The Physical Foundation of Quantum Theory.Mehran Shaghaghi - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (1):1-36.
    The number of independent messages a physical system can carry is limited by the number of its adjustable properties. In particular, systems with only one adjustable property cannot carry more than a single message at a time. We demonstrate that this is true for the photons in the double-slit experiment, and that this is what leads to the fundamental limit on measuring the complementary aspect of the photons. Next, we illustrate that systems with a single adjustable property exhibit other quantum (...)
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  37.  6
    Quantum Equilibrium in Stochastic de Broglie–Bohm–Bell Quantum Mechanics.Jeroen C. Vink - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (1):1-19.
    This paper investigates dynamical relaxation to quantum equilibrium in the stochastic de Broglie–Bohm–Bell formulation of quantum mechanics. The time-dependent probability distributions are computed as in a Markov process with slowly varying transition matrices. Numerical simulations, supported by exact results for the large-time behavior of sequences of (slowly varying) transition matrices, confirm previous findings that indicate that de Broglie–Bohm–Bell dynamics allows an arbitrary initial probability distribution to relax to quantum equilibrium; i.e., there is no need to make the ad-hoc assumption that (...)
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  38.  12
    Fact-nets: Towards a Mathematical Framework for Relational Quantum Mechanics.Federico Zalamea, Vaclav Zatloukal, Jan Głowacki, Titouan Carette & Pierre Martin-Dussaud - 2023 - Foundations of Physics 53 (1):1-33.
    The relational interpretation of quantum mechanics (RQM) has received a growing interest since its first formulation in 1996. Usually presented as an interpretational layer over the usual quantum mechanics formalism, it appears as a philosophical perspective without proper mathematical counterparts. This state of affairs has direct consequences on the scientific debate on RQM which still suffers from misunderstandings and imprecise statements. In an attempt to clarify those debates, the present paper proposes a radical reformulation of the mathematical framework of quantum (...)
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