Semiclassical approximations to quantum dynamics are almost as old as quantum mechanics itself. In the approach pioneered by Wigner, the evolution of his quasiprobability density function on phase space is expressed as an asymptotic series in increasing powers of Planck's constant, with the classical Liouvillean evolution as leading term. Successive semiclassical approximations to quantum dynamics are defined by successive terms in the series. We consider a complementary approach, which explores the quantum-clssical interface from the other direction. Classical dynamics is formulated in Hilbert space, with the Groenewold quasidensity operator as the image of the Liouville density on phase space. The evolution of the Groenewold operator is then expressed as an asymptotic series in increasing powers of Planck's constant. Successive semiquantum approximations to classical dynamics are defined by successive terms in this series, with the familiar quantum evolution as leading term.
What is called "orthodox" quantum mechanics, as presented in standard foundational discussions, relies on two substantive assumptions --- the projection postulate and the eigenvalue-eigenvector link --- that do not in fact play any part in practical applications of quantum mechanics. I argue for this conclusion on a number of grounds, but primarily on the grounds that the projection postulate fails correctly to account for repeated, continuous and unsharp measurements (all of which are standard in contemporary physics) and that the eigenvalue-eigenvector link implies that virtually all interes…
The author's opinion on the interpretation of quantum mechanics is further elucidated. Not only may quantum mechanics be a description of the sub-microscopic world that is profoundly different from what is often asserted, particularly concerning 'what is really going on', but questions such as these may well be essential for finding new ways of constructing models beyond what is now called the Standard Model of the sub-atomic particles.
We bring together two topics (quantum mechanics and time passage) with the goal of clarifying questions about each. Specifically, we claim that the formalism of quantum mechanics provides an answer to the question: "What is time passage?".
Recent developments in elementary quantum mechanics have seen a number of extraordinary claims regarding quantum behaviour, and even questioning internal consistency of the theory. These are, we argue, different disguises of what Feynman described as quantum theory's "only mystery".
Bohmian mechanics, also known as pilot-wave theory or de Broglie-Bohm theory, is a formulation of quantum mechanics whose fundamental axioms are not about what observers will see if they perform an experiment but about what happens in reality. It is therefore called a "quantum theory without observers," alongside with collapse theories and many-worlds theories and in contrast to orthodox quantum mechanics. It follows from these axioms that in a universe governed by Bohmian mechanics, observers will see outcomes with exactly the probabilities specified by the usual rules of quantum mechanics fo…
In a recent paper Griffiths [38] has argued, based on the consistent histories interpretation, that Hilbert space quantum mechanics (QM) is noncontextual. According to Griffiths the problem of contextuality disappears if the apparatus is "designed and operated by a competent experimentalist" and we accept the Single Framework Rule (SFR). We will argue from a representational realist stance that the conclusion is incorrect due to the misleading understanding provided by Griffiths to the meaning of quantum contextuality and its relation to physical reality and measurements. We will discuss how t…
We present a formulation of the decoherent (or consistent) histories quantum theory of closed systems starting with records of what histories happen. Alternative routes to a formulation of quantum theory like this one can be useful both for understanding quantum mechanics and for generalizing and extending it to new realms of application and experimental test.
In the conventional formulation of quantum mechanics, the initial description is given only for the physical system under study. It factors out the state for the experimenter. We argue that such description is incomplete and can lead to statements which can in theory be meaningless. We propose that within a complete description, the initial state must include the state of the experimenter. With such formulation quantum mechanics provides joint probabilities for conjointly observed events, rather than a probability conditional on some initial state for the system under study. This feature is de…
