Closed loophole confirms the unreality of the quantum world (2018)
quantamagazine.org
Closed loophole confirms the unreality of the quantum world (2018)
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Re: Closed loophole confirms the unreality of the quantum world (2018)
#2QM is obviously very true in the sense that it makes useful predictions (in that sense, truth is somewhat a quantity). But it is arguably very inelegant in its seemingly ad-hoc introduction of probability. Naturally, one would hope to one day get a more principled explanation of this randomness.
What would be needed to make physicists search for such an explanation? Some kind of pattern in the "randomness"? Say, photons behave more like particles on Monday mornings?
Re: Closed loophole confirms the unreality of the quantum world (2018)
#3QM is the new Ptolematic system: it makes good predictions, but because it puts Earth in the center, the orbits become needlessly complex and artificial.
Re: Closed loophole confirms the unreality of the quantum world (2018)
#4QM is obviously very true in the sense that it makes useful predictions (in that sense, truth is somewhat a quantity). But it is arguably very inelegant in its seemingly ad-hoc introduction of probability. Naturally, one would hope to one day get a more principled explanation of this randomness. What would be needed to make physicists search for such an explanation? Some kind of pattern in the "randomness"? Say, phot…
If you go with the Many-Worlds Interpretation, then trying to remove the randomness is nonsensical: the world just branches (in proportions as described by the Schrodinger equation), people on every branch have experience, and "randomness" is just what branch you find yourself on. The randomness of what branch you find yourself in is just like the randomness of what person you find yourself born as.
All classical theories and interpretations of QM already have indexical uncertainty (the randomness of what person you find yourself born as). MWI avoids adding any new kinds of entities not implied by the Schrodinger equation and effectively explains away quantum randomness by implying that it's the same thing as indexical uncertainty, instead of being a separate kind of randomness.
Re: Closed loophole confirms the unreality of the quantum world (2018)
#5QM is obviously very true in the sense that it makes useful predictions (in that sense, truth is somewhat a quantity). But it is arguably very inelegant in its seemingly ad-hoc introduction of probability. Naturally, one would hope to one day get a more principled explanation of this randomness. What would be needed to make physicists search for such an explanation? Some kind of pattern in the "randomness"? Say, phot…
> What would be needed to make physicists search for such an explanation?
I'd say confirmation of a failed prediction by QM is what's needed.
Re: Closed loophole confirms the unreality of the quantum world (2018)
#6QM is obviously very true in the sense that it makes useful predictions (in that sense, truth is somewhat a quantity). But it is arguably very inelegant in its seemingly ad-hoc introduction of probability. Naturally, one would hope to one day get a more principled explanation of this randomness. What would be needed to make physicists search for such an explanation? Some kind of pattern in the "randomness"? Say, phot…
What you want is a theory of local hidden variables. [0]
They are at odds with what quantum mechanics predicts (and what we have observed).
On a semi-related note, I might be reading too much into your comment, but I very much dislike when people imply that scientists haven’t thought outside or the box or tried other non-mainstream theories. They try all the time, but fail because those theories often aren’t true. What we’re left with are the best extant theories, even if they’re obvious incomplete.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_hidden-variable_theory?w...
Re: Closed loophole confirms the unreality of the quantum world (2018)
#7QM is the new Ptolematic system: it makes good predictions, but because it puts Earth in the center, the orbits become needlessly complex and artificial.
Explain how QM metaphorically “puts Earth in the center”.
Re: Closed loophole confirms the unreality of the quantum world (2018)
#8QM is the new Ptolematic system: it makes good predictions, but because it puts Earth in the center, the orbits become needlessly complex and artificial.
It seems that way to me too but it (i.e. the notion that QM is needlessly complex and akin to the Ptolematic system) is nothing but conjecture without some candidates for assumptions that might need to be challenged.
[edited for clarity]
Re: Closed loophole confirms the unreality of the quantum world (2018)
#9QM is obviously very true in the sense that it makes useful predictions (in that sense, truth is somewhat a quantity). But it is arguably very inelegant in its seemingly ad-hoc introduction of probability. Naturally, one would hope to one day get a more principled explanation of this randomness. What would be needed to make physicists search for such an explanation? Some kind of pattern in the "randomness"? Say, phot…
> explanation of this randomness
what if randomness is an inherent property of nature?
Re: Closed loophole confirms the unreality of the quantum world (2018)
#10QM is the new Ptolematic system: it makes good predictions, but because it puts Earth in the center, the orbits become needlessly complex and artificial.
It seems that way to me too but it (i.e. the notion that QM is needlessly complex and akin to the Ptolematic system) is nothing but conjecture without some candidates for assumptions that might need to be challenged. [edited for clarity]
It's quite the opposite. QM was discovered while we were trying to resolve certain problems such as the ultraviolet catastrophe. [0]
To say it is "nothing but conjecture" is incredibly condescendingly dismissive and ignorant of the history of its evolution.