Qm interpretations Definition and 20 Threads

If the universe is fundamentally probabilistic, and all possible outcomes are realized in some branch of the multiverse, does that invalidate the concept of scientific inquiry? If knowledge is merely a description of one particular branch of reality, does it have any inherent value?

Going through QM interpretations theories I have a hard time understanding how entanglements fit in these theories. How can a deterministic theory explain instantaneous effects billions( or maybe trillions) of light years away. Can somebody clarify the issue for me?

Consider a simple quantum eraser setup using polarizers: An incident beam polarized at 45º is sent towards a double slit. After slit A there is a horizontal polarizer and after slit B there is a vertical polarizer. At the back screen, if we run this experiment, we will see a particle pattern and...

I just watched Sabine's Hossenfelder very recent new video on the Quantum Cheshire effect. From experience, everything Sabine's says on either entanglement/quantum interpretations or not-physics, is heavily biased to her worldview. However I thought it was fun to see what she was going to say...

I recently finished reading a current novel whose main plot device depended on the Many Worlds interpretation as well as Observer-Created Reality. I wasn't too put off because every science fiction - type story is allowed a certain degree of temporary suspension of disbelief. As I plowed on...

This paper claims that the double slit experiment can be used to distinguish between QM interpretations: https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.02641 IMO, the paper goes astray right at the start, when it points out that time is a parameter in the Schrodinger equation, not an operator, so that equation...

Reading the very interesting thread that @Demystifier started, I was hoping to get a better understanding of certain ideas. I don't think these questions would be suitable for that particular thread. The first such question pertains to the following exchange between DarMM and Demystifier. Are...

I have just finished reading the book 'Three Roads to Quantum Gravity' by Lee Smolin. My question interestingly is associated with my geology background. Lee Smolin notes Fay Dowker concludes that if Consistent Histories is true then we cannot deduce the existence of dinosaurs 100 million...

[Moderator's Note: Thread spun off from previous discussion.] MWI and the TSVF are both easily generalized to QFT. One only needs to define the decoherence basis for the fields (see https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/9510021) and then one simply interprets the decoherent histories as ontological...

Greg Bernhardt submitted a new PF Insights post The Fundamental Difference in Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

In a nutshell I think that in local realistic theories it is assumed that: Each entangled object has definite properties at all times, even when not observed. I know the assumption is proved to be incorrect but is that an assumption actually made in such theories?But what assumptions about...

Do interpretations of QM that are non local (Bohmian, collapse, transactional) violate relativity since they allow for faster than light travel?

Is there already consesus in the (mainstream) scientific world that the various interpretations of QM can't and won't be reconsiled? (unless, perhaps, they find a completely different mathematical framework?) And what is the cause of that? :smile:

And back again with a strange/odd layman question: Actually, this remark of Jilang is a perfect illustration of what I am wondering about: It seems as if realism and locality are behaving like two eigenstates in a space of interpretations of QM. Most people seem to suggest that you must have...

A long time ago, maybe 6 months, I saw an annual survey of which QM interpretation people adhered to and there was a list of maybe 10 different interpretations. I tried to find it again but couldn't. I used the advanced search tool for about 15 minutes but couldn't find anything. Does anyone...

Does anyone know of a psychological study done of the various people who take different positions in the debates about interpretation of quantum mechanics? I mean something that would analyze the philosophical reasons for the arguments, and the emotional drives that might lead physicists to...

I didn't want to hijack somebody else's thread, so thought I would start a new one for this. There are several interpretations/formulations of QM: Copenhagen, TSQM, MWI, and others. Which one currently has the most favor within the physics community? Why Which one currently has the...

In order to stop hijacking https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=361216", I'll restart a discussion here about the role of background assumptions and the conceptual aspects of scientific theories, in particular how the "measurement problem" fits in with quantum mechanics and its...

The following are the interpretations of QM: Bohmian · CCC · Consistent histories · Copenhagen · Ensemble · Hidden variable theory · Many-worlds · Pondicherry · Quantum logic · Relational · Transactional Which is the most accepted by the theoretical physics community? Obviously all have...

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