A modified de Broglie-Bohm (dBB) approach to quantum mechanics is presented. In this new deterministic theory, which uses complex methods in an intermediate step, the problem of zero velocity for bound states encountered in the dBB formulation does not appear. Also this approach is equivalent to standard quantum mechanics when averages of dynamical variables like position, momentum and energy are taken.
Valentini [arXiv:0811.0810] has recently defended the de Broglie-Bohm pilot-wave version of quantum theory from the claim that it is essentially Everett theory encumbered with the redundant postulation of point particles. In this note, Valentini's central arguments are questioned.
In this paper we study the quantum wave packet and the Feynman_de Broglie_Bohm propagator of the linearized Kostin equation along a classical trajetory.
The quantum theory of de Broglie and Bohm solves the measurement problem, but the hypothetical corpuscles play no role in the argument. The solution finds a more natural home in the Everett interpretation.
This paper is devoted to the analysis of massive particle in general and Newton-Cartan Background in de Broglie-Bohm Theory. We find classical and quantum version of Hamilton-Jacobi equations and find their relations to wave equations. We also discuss fundamental difference between classical and quantum description of these two systems.
In this paper we study the quantum wave packet and the Feynman-de Broglie-Bohm propagator of the linearized Schuch-Chung-Hartmann equation along a classical trajetory.
It is shown that the de Broglie-Bohm quantum theory of multi-particle systems is incompatible with the standard quantum theory of such systems unless the former is ergodic. A realistic experiment is suggested to distinguish between the two theories.
A modified de Broglie-Bohm (dBB) approach to quantum mechanics is presented. In this new deterministic theory, the problem of zero velocity for bound states does not appear. Also this approach is equivalent to standard quantum mechanics when averages of dynamical variables are taken, in exactly the same way as in the original dBB theory.
In this thesis the Bohm-de Broglie interpretation of quantum mechanics is applied to canonical quantum gravity. It is shown that, irrespective of any regularization or choice of factor ordering of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation, the unique relevant quantum effect which does not break spacetime is the change of its signature from lorentzian to euclidean. The other quantum effects are either trivial or break the four-geometry of spacetime. A Bohm-de Broglie picture of quantum geometrodynamics is constructed, which allows the investigation of these latter structures. For instance, it is shown that a…
Initial momenta of de Broglie-Bohm trajectories generally do not obey quantum mechanical momentum distributions. The solution to this problem presented in the following leads to an extended hydrodynamic interpretation of quantum mechanics. To demonstrate the new formalism, it is applied to the double-slit experiment. From this example follows a proposal for experimental verification of trajectory formulations of quantum mechanics.
In this paper we study the quantum wave packet and the Feynman-de Broglie_Bohm propagator of the linearized Sussmann_Hasse_Albrecht_Kostin_Nassar equation along a classical trajetory
It is argued that the topological approach to the (anti-)symmetrisation condition for the quantum state of a collection of identical particles, defined in the `reduced' configuration space, is particularly natural from the perspective of de Broglie-Bohm pilot-wave theory.
A Lagrangian analysis explains the numerical results of Valentini and Westman (2005) which demonstrate that an initially arbitrary particle density, stirred by the field of de Broglie velocities associated with a Schrodinger wave function, relaxes to the Born probability density provided both densities are coarse-grained.
The de Broglie - Bohm Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics assigns positions and trajectories to particles. We analyze the validity of a formula for the velocities of Bohmian particles which makes the analysis of these trajectories particularly simple. We apply it to four different types of particle detectors and show that three types of the detectors lead to "surrealistic trajectories", i.e., leave a trace where the Bohmian particle was not present.
In this work we study the Ramsauer-Townsend effect.First, we use the Quantum Mechanical Formalism of Schrodinger. After, it is calculated with the Quantum Mechanical Formalism of de Broglie-Bohm. In this case, we use the Kostin equation, taking into account the energy dissipation of the electrons scattered by sharp edged potential wells.
The de Broglie-Bohm approach permits to assign well defined trajectories to particles that obey the Schroedinger equation. We extend this approach to electron pairs in a superconductor. In the stationary regime this extension is completely natural; in the general case additional postulates are required. This approach gives enlightening views for the absence of Hall effect in the stationary regime and for the formation of permanent currents.
A de Broglie-Bohm like model of Klein-Gordon equation, that leads to the correct Schrodinger equation in the low-speed limit, is presented. Under this theoretical framework, that affords an interpretation of the quantum potential, the main assumption of the de Broglie-Bohm interpretation--that the local momentum of particles is given by the gradient of the phase of the wave function--is not but approximately correct. Also, the number of particles is not locally conserved. Furthermore, the representation of physical systems through wave functions wont be complete.
A de Broglie-Bohm like model of Dirac equation, that leads to the correct Pauli equations for electrons and positrons in the low-speed limit, is presented. Under this theoretical framework, that affords an interpretation of the quantum potential, the main assumption of the de Broglie-Bohm theory--that the local momentum of particles is given by the gradient of the phase of the wave function--wont be accurate. Also, the number of particles wont be locally conserved. Furthermore, the representation of physical systems through wave functions wont be complete.
The standard relativistic de-Broglie--Bohm theory has the problems of tacyonic solutions and the incorrect non-relativistic limit. In this paper we obtain a relativistic theory, not decomposing the relativistic wave equations but looking for a generalization of non-relativistic Bohmian theory in such a way that the correct non-relativistic limit emerges. In this way we are able to construct a relativistic de-Broglie--Bohm theory both for a single particle and for a many-particle system. At the end, the theory is extended to the curved space-time and the connection with quantum gravity is discu…
The relativistic effects of the integer-spin quantum field theory imply that the wave functions describing a fixed number of particles do not admit the usual probabilistic interpretation. Among several most popular interpretations of quantum mechanics applied to first quantization, the only interpretation for which this fact does not lead to a serious problem, and therefore the only consistent interpretation of first quantization, is the de Broglie-Bohm interpretation.
t is shown that although the de Broglie-Bohm quantum theory of motion is equivalent to standard quantum mechanics when averages of dynamical variables are taken over a Gibbs ensemble of Bohmian trajectories, the equivalence breaks down for ensembles built over clearly separated short intervals of time in special multi-particle systems. This feature is exploited to propose a realistic experiment to distinguish between the two theories.
We show that quantum mechanics can be given a Lorentz-invariant realistic interpretation by applying our recently proposed relativistic extension of the de Broglie-Bohm theory to deduce non-locally correlated, Lorentz-invariant individual particle motions for the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen experiment and the double-interferometer experiment proposed by Horne, Shimony and Zeilinger.
This note collects, classifies and evaluates common criticism against the de Broglie Bohm theory, including Ockham's razor, asymmetry in the de Broglie Bohm theory, the ``surreal trajectory'' problem, the underdetermination of the de Broglie Bohm theory and the question of relativistic and quantum field theoretical generalizations of the de Broglie Bohm theory. We argue that none of these objections provide a rigorous disproof, they rather highlight that even in science theories can not solely be evaluated based on their empirical confirmation.
The dynamics of highly excited radial Rydberg wavepackets is analyzed in terms of de Broglie-Bohm (BB) trajectories. Although the wavepacket evolves along classical motion, the computed BB trajectories are markedly different from the classical dynamics: in particular none of the trajectories initially near the atomic core reach the outer turning point where the wavepacket localizes periodically. The reasons for this behavior, that we suggest to be generic for trajectory-based hidden variable theories, are discussed.
The aim of this article is reproduce and analyze an original article of David Bohm sent to Louis de Broglie in 1951. This article is the older document of David Bohm about his well known hidden variable theory based on the pilot wave interpretation of Louis de Broglie. We analyse the chronology and the history of this fascinating document.
In this work we derive Born's rule from the pilot-wave theory of de Broglie and Bohm. Based on a toy model involving a particle coupled to a environement made of "qubits" (i.e., Bohmian pointers) we show that entanglement together with deterministic chaos lead to a fast relaxation from any statistitical distribution $ρ(x)$ (of finding a particle at point $x$) to the Born probability law $|Ψ(x)|^2$. Our model is discussed in the context of Boltzmann's kinetic theory and we demonstrate a kind of H theorem for the relaxation to the quantum equilibrium regime.
We review the de Broglie-Bohm quantum theory. It is an alternative description of quantum phenomena in accordance with all the quantum experiments already performed. Essentially, it is a dynamical theory about objectively real trajectories in the configuration space of the physical system under investigation. Hence, it is not necessarily probabilistic, and it dispenses with the collapse postulate, making it suitable to be applied to cosmology. The emerging cosmological models are usually free of singularities, with a bounce connecting a contracting era with an expanding phase, which we are now…
The de Broglie-Bohm theory is about non-relativistic point-particles that move deterministically along trajectories. The theory reproduces the predictions of standard quantum theory, given that the distribution of particles over an ensemble of systems, all described by the same wavefunction $ψ$, equals the quantum equilibrium distribution $|ψ|^2$. Numerical simulations by Valentini and Westman have illustrated that non-equilibrium particle distributions may relax to quantum equilibrium after some time. Here we consider non-equilibrium distributions and their relaxation properties for a particu…
We consider an example of a quantum algorithm from the point of view of the de Broglie-Bohm formulation of quantum mechanics. For concreteness we look at two particular implementations: one using spin-1/2 particles as described by a simple model due to Bell and the other as energy states in an infinite-well potential. We extend the analysis to encompass a complete set of quantum gates. We conclude by discussing the relevance of our investigations for the debate about the origin of the quantum-computational speed-up.
First, we use the theory of characteristics of first order partial differential equations to derive the guiding equation directly from the Quantum Evolution Equation (QEE). After obtaining the general result, we apply it to a set of evolution equations (Schroedinger, Pauli, Klein-Gordon, Dirac) to show how the guiding equation is, actually, the characteristic velocity of the corresponding matter field equations.
Within the de Broglie-Bohm (dBB) theory, the measurement process and the determination of its outcome are usually discussed in terms of the effect of the Bohmian positions of the measured system S. %} This article shows that the Bohmian positions associated with the measurement apparatus M can actually play a crucial role in the determination of the result of measurement. Indeed, in many cases, the result is practically independent of the initial value of a Bohmian position associated with S, and determined only by those of M. The measurement then does not reveal the value of any pre-existing …
We review some aspects of the double solution theory proposed by de Broglie at the beginning of the quantum era (i.e., in the period 1924-28). We specifically analyze and rederive the so called guidance theorem which is a key element of the full theory. We compare the double solution approach to the most known pilot-wave interpretation, also known as de Broglie-Bohm or Bohmian mechanics. We explain why de Broglie rejected the pilot wave interpretation and advocated the double solution. We also discuss some philosophical issues related to difference of strategies between de Broglie on the one s…
If the density matrix is treated as an objective description of individual systems, it may become possible to attribute the same objective significance to statistical mechanical properties, such as entropy or temperature, as to properties such as mass or energy. It is shown that the de Broglie-Bohm interpretation of quantum theory can be consistently applied to density matrices as a description of individual systems. The resultant trajectories are examined for the case of the delayed choice interferometer, for which Bell appears to suggest that such an interpretation is not possible. Bell's ar…
The standard quantum theory has not taken into account the size of quantum particles, the latter being implicitly treated as material points. The recent interference experiments of Zeilinger [3] with large molecules like fullerenes and the thought experiments of Bozic et al [7] with asymmetrical Young slits make it possible today to take into account the particle size. We present here a complete study of this phenomenon where our simulations show differences between the particles density after the slits and the modulus square of the wave function. Then we propose a crucial experiment that allo…
In a pilot-wave theory, an individual closed system is described by a wavefunction $ψ(q)$ and configuration $q$. The evolution of the wavefunction and configuration are respectively determined by the Schrödinger and guidance equations. The guidance equation states that the velocity field for the configuration is given by the quantum current divided by the density $|ψ(q)|^2$. We present the currents and associated guidance equations for any Hamiltonian given by a differential operator. These are derived directly from the Schrödinger equation, and also as Noether currents arising from a global p…
Eighty years after de Broglie's, and a little more than half a century after Bohm's seminal papers, the de Broglie--Bohm theory (a.k.a. Bohmian mechanics), which is presumably the simplest theory which explains the orthodox quantum mechanics formalism, has reached an exemplary state of conceptual clarity and mathematical integrity. No other theory of quantum mechanics comes even close. Yet anyone curious enough to walk this road to quantum mechanics is soon being confused by many misleading signposts that have been put up, and not just by its detractors, but unfortunately enough also by some o…
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 as…
We reply to claims (by Deutsch, Zeh, Brown and Wallace) that the pilot-wave theory of de Broglie and Bohm is really a many-worlds theory with a superfluous configuration appended to one of the worlds. Assuming that pilot-wave theory does contain an ontological pilot wave (a complex-valued field in configuration space), we show that such claims arise from not interpreting pilot-wave theory on its own terms. Specifically, the theory has its own ('subquantum') theory of measurement, and in general describes a 'nonequilibrium' state that violates the Born rule. Furthermore, in realistic models of …
This paper introduces an extension of the de Broglie-Bohm-Bell formulation of quantum mechanics, which includes intrinsic particle degrees of freedom, such as spin, as elements of reality. To evade constraints from the Kochen-Specker theorem the discrete spin values refer to a specific basis -- i.e., a single spin vector orientation for each particle; these spin orientations are, however, not predetermined, but dynamic and guided by the (reduced, spin-only) wave function of the system, which is conditional on the realized location values of the particles. In this way, the unavoidable contextua…
Numerical simulations indicate that the Born rule does not need to be postulated in the de Broglie-Bohm pilot-wave theory, but arises dynamically (relaxation to quantum equilibrium). These simulations were done for a particle in a two-dimensional box whose wave-function obeys the non-relativistic Schroedinger equation and is therefore scalar. The chaotic nature of the de Broglie-Bohm trajectories, thanks to the nodes of the wave-function which act as vortices, is crucial for a fast relaxation to quantum equilibrium. For spinors, we typically do not expect any node. However, in the case of the …
The de Broglie-Bohm interpretation of quantum mechanics aims to give a realist description of quantum phenomena in terms of the motion of point-like particles following well-defined trajectories. This work is concerned by the de Broglie-Bohm account of the properties of semiclassical systems. Semiclassical systems are quantum systems that display the manifestation of classical trajectories: the wavefunction and the observable properties of such systems depend on the trajectories of the classical counterpart of the quantum system. For example the quantum properties have a regular or disordered …
We present a local interpretation of what is usually considered to be a nonlocal de Broglie-Bohm trajectory prescription for an entangled singlet state of massive particles. After reviewing various meanings of the term ``nonlocal'', we show that by using appropriately retarded wavefunctions (i.e., the locality loophole) this local model can violate Bell's inequality, without making any appeal to detector inefficiencies. We analyze a possible experimental configuration appropriate to massive two-particle singlet wavefunctions and find that as long as the particles are not ultra-relativistic, a …
Much attention has been drawn to quantum computing and the exponential speed-up in computation the technology would be able to provide. Various claims have been made about what aspect of quantum mechanics causes this speed-up. Formulations of quantum computing have traditionally been made in orthodox (Copenhagen) and sometimes many-worlds quantum mechanics. We will aim to understand quantum computing in terms of de Broglie-Bohm Pilot-Wave Theory by considering different simple systems that may function as a basic quantum computer. We will provide a careful discussion of Pilot-Wave Theory and e…
De Broglie - Bohm (dBB) theory is a deterministic theory, built for reproducing almost all Quantum Mechanics (QM) predictions, where position plays the role of a hidden variable. It was recently shown that different coincidence patterns are predicted by QM and dBB when a double slit experiment is realised under specific conditions and, therefore, an experiment can test the two theories. In this letter we present the first realisation of such a double slit experiment by using correlated photons produced in type I Parametric Down Conversion. Our results confirm QM contradicting dBB predictions.
Whence Nonlocality? Removing spooky action at a distance from the de Broglie Bohm pilot-wave theory using a time-symmetric version of de Broglie double solution
