On the probabilistic postulate of quantum mechanics

Foundations of Physics 26 (10):1357-1374 (1996)
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Abstract

We study whether the probabilistic postulate could be derived from basic principles. Through the analysis of the Strong Law of Large Numbers and its formulation in quantum mechanics, we show, contrary to the claim of the many-worlds interpretation defenders and the arguments of some other authors, the impossibility of obtaining the probabilistic postulate by means of the frequency analysis of an ensemble of infinite copies of a single system. It is shown, though, how the standard form of the probability as the square of the scalar product follows from Gleason's theorem

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Jose Luis Sanchez-Gomez
Centro de Enseñanza Té y Superior Universidad, Unidad Ensenada

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