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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Jonte HanceORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
In quantum mechanics, the wave function predicts probabilities of possible measurement outcomes, but not which individual outcome is realized in each run of an experiment. This suggests that it describes an ensemble of states with different values of a hidden variable. Here, we analyse this idea with reference to currently known theorems and experiments. We argue that the ψ-ontic/epistemic distinction fails to properly identify ensemble interpretations and propose a more useful definition. We then show that all local ψ-ensemble interpretations which reproduce quantum mechanics violate statistical independence. Theories with this property are commonly referred to as superdeterministic or retrocausal. Finally, we explain how this interpretation helps make sense of some otherwise puzzling phenomena in quantum mechanics, such as the delayed choice experiment, the Elitzur–Vaidman bomb detector and the extended Wigner’s friends scenario.
Author(s): Hance JR, Hossenfelder S
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Proceedings of the Royal Society A
Year: 2022
Volume: 478
Issue: 2262
Print publication date: 29/06/2022
Online publication date: 22/06/2022
Acceptance date: 06/06/2022
Date deposited: 08/04/2024
ISSN (print): 1364-5021
ISSN (electronic): 1471-2946
Publisher: Royal Society Publishing
URL: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2021.0705
DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2021.0705
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