Quantum Mechanics: Myths and Facts

A common understanding of quantum mechanics (QM) among students and practical users is often plagued by a number of “myths”, that is, widely accepted claims on which there is not really a general consensus among experts in foundations of QM. These myths include wave-particle duality, time-energy uncertainty relation, fundamental randomness, the absence of measurement-independent reality, locality of QM, nonlocality of QM, the existence of well-defined relativistic QM, the claims that quantum field theory (QFT) solves the problems of relativistic QM or that QFT is a theory of particles, as well as myths on black-hole entropy. The fact is that the existence of various theoretical and interpretational ambiguities underlying these myths does not yet allow us to accept them as proven facts. I review the main arguments and counterarguments lying behind these myths and conclude that QM is still a not-yet-completely-understood theory open to further fundamental research.     

A Categorical Framework for the Quantum Harmonic Oscillator

This paper describes how the structure of the state space of the quantum harmonic oscillator can be described by an adjunction of categories, that encodes the raising and lowering operators into a commutative comonoid. The formulation is an entirely general one in which Hilbert spaces play no special role. Generalised coherent states arise through the hom-set isomorphisms defining the adjunction, and we prove that they are eigenstates of the lowering operators. Generalised exponentials also emerge naturally in this setting, and we demonstrate that coherent states are produced by the exponential of a raising morphism acting on the zero-particle state. Finally, we examine all of these constructions in a suitable category of Hilbert spaces, and find that they reproduce the conventional mathematical structures.     

Foundations of the Quaternion Quantum Mechanics

We show that quaternion quantum mechanics has well-founded mathematical roots and can be derived from the model of the elastic continuum by French mathematician Augustin Cauchy, i.e., it can be regarded as representing the physical reality of elastic continuum. Starting from the Cauchy theory (classical balance equations for isotropic Cauchy-elastic material) and using the Hamilton quaternion algebra, we present a rigorous derivation of the quaternion form of the non- and relativistic wave equations. The family of the wave equations and the Poisson equation are a straightforward consequence of the quaternion representation of the Cauchy model of the elastic continuum. This is the most general kind of quantum mechanics possessing the same kind of calculus of assertions as conventional quantum mechanics. The problem of the Schrödinger equation, where imaginary ‘i’ should emerge, is solved. This interpretation is a serious attempt to describe the ontology of quantum mechanics, and demonstrates that, besides Bohmian mechanics, the complete ontological interpretations of quantum theory exists. The model can be generalized and falsified. To ensure this theory to be true, we specified problems, allowing exposing its falsity.     

Superstrings and the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics

It is put forward that modern elementary particle physics cannot be completely unified with the laws of gravity and general relativity without addressing the question of the ontological interpretation of quantum mechanics itself. The position of superstring theory in this general question is emphasized: superstrings may well form exactly the right mathematical system that can explain how quantum mechanics can be linked to a deterministic picture of our world. Deterministic interpretations of quantum mechanics are usually categorically rejected, because of Bell’s powerful observations, and indeed these apply here also, but we do emphasize that the models we arrive at are super-deterministic, which is exactly the case where Bell expressed his doubts. Strong correlations at space-like separations could explain the apparent contradictions.     

Quantum Mechanics and Imprecise Probability

An extension of the Born rule, the quantum typicality rule, has recently been proposed [B. Galvan in Found. Phys. 37:1540–1562 (2007)]. Roughly speaking, this rule states that if the wave function of a particle is split into non-overlapping wave packets, the particle stays approximately inside the support of one of the wave packets, without jumping to the others. In this paper a formal definition of this rule is given in terms of imprecise probability. An imprecise probability space is a measurable space endowed with a set of probability measures ℘. The quantum formalism and the quantum typicality rule allow us to define a set of probabilities on (X ^T ,ℱ), where X is the configuration space of a quantum system, T is a time interval and ℱ is the σ-algebra generated by the cylinder sets. Thus, it is proposed that a quantum system can be represented as the imprecise stochastic process , which is a canonical stochastic process in which the single probability measure is replaced by a set of measures. It is argued that this mathematical model, when used to represent macroscopic systems, has sufficient predictive power to explain both the results of the statistical experiments and the quasi-classical structure of the macroscopic evolution.     

Epistemic Horizons and the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics

In-principle restrictions on the amount of information that can be gathered about a system have been proposed as a foundational principle in several recent reconstructions of the formalism of quantum mechanics. However, it seems unclear precisely why one should be thus restricted. We investigate the notion of paradoxical self-reference as a possible origin of such epistemic horizons by means of a fixed-point theorem in Cartesian closed categories due to Lawvere that illuminates and unifies the different perspectives on self-reference.     

A Discussion on Particle Number and Quantum Indistinguishability

The concept of individuality in quantum mechanics shows radical differences from the concept of individuality in classical physics, as E. Schr?dinger pointed out in the early steps of the theory. Regarding this fact, some authors suggested that quantum mechanics does not possess its own language, and therefore, quantum indistinguishability is not incorporated in the theory from the beginning. Nevertheless, it is possible to represent the idea of quantum indistinguishability with a first-order language using quasiset theory (Q). In this work, we show that Q cannot capture one of the most important features of quantum non-individuality, which is the fact that there are quantum systems for which particle number is not well defined. An axiomatic variant of Q, in which quasicardinal is not a primitive concept (for a kind of quasisets called finite quasisets), is also given. This result encourages the searching of theories in which the quasicardinal, being a secondary concept, stands undefined for some quasisets, besides showing explicitly that in a set theory about collections of truly indistinguishable entities, the quasicardinal needs not necessarily be a primitive concept. Graciela Domenech — Fellow of the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET).     

Residuated Semigroups and the Algebraic Foundations of Quantum Mechanics

Let Q be an idempotent and right-sided quantale. There is a one to one correspondence between quantifiers and non-commutative binary operations making Q an idempotent and right-sided quantale. If Q is an atomic and irreducible orthomodular lattice there are only two such operations. Namely, the discrete quantifier and the indiscrete quantifer. PACS: 0210.Ab, 0210.De This work is dedicated to Alberto Román.     

The Phase Space Formalism for Quantum Mechanics and C* Axioms

On any quantum mechanical Hilbert space, the phase space localization operators form a set of operators that are both physically motivated and form the groundwork for a C* algebra. This set is shown to be informationally complete in the original Hilbert space. We also revisit the relation between having a complete set of eigenvectors, commutability and compatibility. Dedicated to G.G. Emch.     

Quaternionic Formulation of Supersymmetric Quantum Mechanics

Quaternionic formulation of supersymmetric quantum mechanics has been developed consistently in terms of Hamiltonians, super partner Hamiltonians, and supercharges for free particle and interacting field in one and three dimensions. Supercharges, super partner Hamiltonians and energy eigenvalues are discussed and it has been shown that the results are consistent with the results of quantum mechanics.     

Background Independent Quantum Mechanics,Metric of Quantum States,and Gravity: A Comprehensive Perspective

This paper presents a comprehensive perspective of the metric of quantum states with a focus on the geometry in the background independent quantum mechanics. We also explore the possibilities of geometrical formulations of quantum mechanics beyond the quantum state space and Kähler manifold. The metric of quantum states in the classical configuration space with the pseudo-Riemannian signature and its possible applications are explored. On contrary to the common perception that a metric for quantum state can yield a natural metric in the configuration space when the limit ?→0, we obtain the metric of quantum states in the configuration space without imposing the limiting condition ?→0. Here Planck’s constant ? is absorbed in the quantity like Bohr radii \(\frac{1}{2mZ\alpha}\sim a_{0}\). While exploring the metric structures associated with Hydrogen like atom, we witness another interesting finding that the invariant lengths appear in the multiple of Bohr’s radii as: ds ²=a ₀ ² (? Ψ)².     

An Approach to Quantum Mechanics via Conditional Probabilities

The well-known proposal to consider the Lüders-von Neumann measurement as a non-classical extension of probability conditionalization is further developed. The major results include some new concepts like the different grades of compatibility, the objective conditional probabilities which are independent of the underlying state and stem from a certain purely algebraic relation between the events, and an axiomatic approach to quantum mechanics. The main axioms are certain postulates concerning the conditional probabilities and own intrinsic probabilistic interpretations from the very beginning. A Jordan product is derived for the observables, and the consideration of composite systems leads to operator algebras on the Hilbert space over the complex numbers, which is the standard model of quantum mechanics. The paper gives an expository overview of the results presented in a series of recent papers by the author. For the first time, the complete approach is presented as a whole in a single paper. Moreover, since the mathematical proofs are already available in the original papers, the present paper can dispense with the mathematical details and maximum generality, thus addressing a wider audience of physicists, philosophers or quantum computer scientists.     

A Link between Quantum Logic and Categorical Quantum Mechanics

Abramsky and Coecke (Proceedings of the 19th Annual IEEE Symposium on Logic in Computer Science, pp. 415–425, IEEE Comput. Soc., New York, 2004) have recently introduced an approach to finite dimensional quantum mechanics based on strongly compact closed categories with biproducts. In this note it is shown that the projections of any object A in such a category form an orthoalgebra Proj  A. Sufficient conditions are given to ensure this orthoalgebra is an orthomodular poset. A notion of a preparation for such an object is given by Abramsky and Coecke, and it is shown that each preparation induces a finitely additive map from Proj  A to the unit interval of the semiring of scalars for this category. The tensor product for the category is shown to induce an orthoalgebra bimorphism Proj  A×Proj  B→Proj (A ⊗ B) that shares some of the properties required of a tensor product of orthoalgebras. These results are established in a setting more general than that of strongly compact closed categories. Many are valid in dagger biproduct categories, others require also a symmetric monoidal tensor compatible with the dagger and biproducts. Examples are considered for several familiar strongly compact closed categories.     

Semi-Classical Limit and Minimum Decoherence in the Conditional Probability Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

The Conditional Probability Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics replaces the abstract notion of time used in standard Quantum Mechanics by the time that can be read off from a physical clock. The use of physical clocks leads to apparent non-unitary and decoherence. Here we show that a close approximation to standard Quantum Mechanics can be recovered from conditional Quantum Mechanics for semi-classical clocks, and we use these clocks to compute the minimum decoherence predicted by the Conditional Probability Interpretation.     

A Topological Study of Contextuality and Modality in Quantum Mechanics

Kochen–Specker theorem rules out the non-contextual assignment of values to physical magnitudes. Here we enrich the usual orthomodular structure of quantum mechanical propositions with modal operators. This enlargement allows to refer consistently to actual and possible properties of the system. By means of a topological argument, more precisely in terms of the existence of sections of sheaves, we give an extended version of Kochen–Specker theorem over this new structure. This allows us to prove that contextuality remains a central feature even in the enriched propositional system. Graciela Domenech is a fellow of the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Hector Freytes is a fellow of the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET).     

Information,Quantum Mechanics,and Gravity

This is a basically expository article, with some new observations, tracing connections of the quantum potential to Fisher information, to Kähler geometry of the projective Hilbert space of a quantum system, and to the Weyl-Ricci scalar curvature of a Riemannian flat spacetime with quantum matter.Á Denise     

Contextuality in Classical Physics and Its Impact on the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics

It is shown that the hallmark quantum phenomenon of contextuality is present in classical statistical mechanics (CSM). It is first shown that the occurrence of contextuality is equivalent to there being observables that can differentiate between pure and mixed states. CSM is formulated in the formalism of quantum mechanics (FQM), a formulation commonly known as the Koopman–von Neumann formulation (KvN). In KvN, one can then show that such a differentiation between mixed and pure states is possible. As contextuality is a probabilistic phenomenon and as it is exhibited in both classical physics and ordinary quantum mechanics (OQM), it is concluded that the foundational issues regarding quantum mechanics are really issues regarding the foundations of probability.     

On Quantum Mechanics on Noncommutative Quantum Phase Space

In this work, we develop a general framework in which Noncommutative Quantum Mechanics (NCQM), characterized by a space noncommutativity matrix parameter θ=ε_ij^k θ_k and a momentum noncommutativity matrix parameter β=ε_ij^k β_k, is shown to be equivalent to Quantum Mechanics (QM) on a suitable transformed Quantum Phase Space (QPS). Imposing some constraints on this particular transformation, we firstly find that the product of the two parameters θ and β possesses a lower bound in direct relation with Heisenberg incertitude relations, and secondly that the two parameters are equivalent but with opposite sign, up to a dimension factor depending on the physical system under study. This means that noncommutativity is represented by a unique parameter which may play the role of a fundamental constant characterizing the whole NCQPS. Within our framework, we treat some physical systems on NCQPS : free particle, harmonic oscillator, system of two-charged particles, Hydrogen atom. Among the obtained results, we discover a new phenomenon which consists of a free particle on NCQPS viewed as equivalent to a harmonic oscillator with Larmor frequency depending on β, representing the same particle in presence of a magnetic field $\vec{B}=q^{-1}\vec{\beta}$. For the other examples, additional correction terms depending on β appear in the expression of the energy spectrum. Finally, in the two-particle system case, we emphasize the fact that for two opposite charges noncommutativity is effectively feeled with opposite sign.