Can Bohmian Mechanics deal with photons?

[Spinnor]

What is the state of the art, Google does not turn up much published work. I would like to be able to consider photon paths through LIGO.

Thank you.

 

[martinbn]

Why do you need Bohemian(!) Mechanics for that?

 

[PeterDonis]

Why do you need Bohemian(!) Mechanics for that?

Moderator's note: I have corrected the thread title to "Bohmian".

 

[Nugatory]

Why do you need Bohemian(!) Mechanics for that?

We don't, because if we dislike how an interpretation works for a particular problem we don't have to use that interpretation while working that problem. But it's still legitimate to ask how a particular interpretation handles some particular problem.

 

[Demystifier]

Bohmian mechanics is about interpreting quantum theory in terms of classical-like ontology. The best known ontology of that kind is particle ontology, but Bohmian mechanics works also with other kinds of classical-like ontologies, such as field ontology (suitable for quantum field theory) and even string ontology (suitable for string theory). In the case of photons particle ontology is not very suitable in general, field ontology is much more suitable. In field ontology, there is no such thing as photon paths. See e.g. my https://arxiv.org/abs/2205.05986 .

However the LIGO experiment is, from a Bohmian point of view, rather simple, because entanglement of photons, creation/destruction of photons, and relativity do not play important roles. In such situations particle ontology for photons works well. So if one wants, one can construct meaningful particle paths of photons.

 

[martinbn]

We don't, because if we dislike how an interpretation works for a particular problem we don't have to use that interpretation while working that problem. But it's still legitimate to ask how a particular interpretation handles some particular problem.

Yes, if it is a QM question. If it is about gravitatiinal waves and LIGO, it is legitimate to ask "Why do you need so and so interpretation of QM?"

 

[Demystifier]

Yes, if it is a QM question. If it is about gravitatiinal waves and LIGO, it is legitimate to ask "Why do you need so and so interpretation of QM?"

Indeed, LIGO works with a very high intensity laser beam, and its high intensity implies that, to a large extent, it can be understood in terms of classical light. The high intensity is needed so that even tiny fluctuations of the gravitational field result in detectable changes of light intensity due to interference.