Bohmian mechanics (BM) is characterized by the requirement of a preferred reference frame, which presents a potential incompatibility with string theory (ST) that lacks such frames. However, discussions indicate that certain versions of Bohmian mechanics may be compatible with string theory and other quantum gravity theories like Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG) and Causal Dynamical Triangulation (CDT). Notably, interpretations of Bohmian mechanics exist that do not impose a preferred frame, thereby enriching the foundational aspects of string theory without contradicting its principles. Key references include works by Raman Sundrum and various arXiv papers that explore these interpretations.
PREREQUISITESThe discussion is beneficial for theoretical physicists, quantum mechanics researchers, and students exploring the intersections of Bohmian mechanics and string theory, particularly those interested in the implications of preferred frames in quantum gravity theories.
haushofer said:Do you have a reference for your first statement (BM requires...)?
Let me make a biological metaphor. Males have sperm. But females don't have any sperm, so aren't males incompatible with females?JG11 said:Bohmian mechanics requires a preferred reference frame. But String theory doesn't have any preferred frames, so isn't BM incompatible with ST?? Maybe it would be compatible with other theories of quantum gravity that permit a preferred frame (LQG, CDT)...
"Has" is not the same as "require". Most versions of Bohmian mechanics indeed have a preferred frame, but it is not a general requirement.JG11 said:It is well known that bohmian mechanics has a preferred frame involved.
Interesting. Can you link me to the interpretations of bohmian mechanics that do not introduce a preferred frame? What kind of physical consequences does a Bohmian String theory have which adds to the original theory?Demystifier said:Let me make a biological metaphor. Males have sperm. But females don't have any sperm, so aren't males incompatible with females?
The answer is of course no, because you need both beings (one without sperm and the other with) for a complete theory of reproduction. Similarly, Bohmian interpretation of a basic quantum theory (be it non-relativistic quantum mechanics, quantum field theory or string theory) adds something that is not present in the basic theory, without denying any equation of the basic theory. Bohmian interpretation claims that the basic version of the theory is incomplete, in the sense that it cannot explain how measurement outcomes are created. In my metaphor, it corresponds to the claim that a reproduction theory based only on females is incomplete because it cannot explain how babies are created.
That being said, I would add that there are versions of Bohmian mechanics for string theory that do not introduce a preferred frame. But they of course add something else that is not present in the basic version of the theory.
In the case of string theory, seeJG11 said:Can you link me to the interpretations of bohmian mechanics that do not introduce a preferred frame?
https://lanl.arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0605250JG11 said:What kind of physical consequences does a Bohmian String theory have which adds to the original theory?
So there is no minimal length in the bohmian mechanics version of string theory? That's a huge change to the theory.Demystifier said:In the case of string theory, see
https://lanl.arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0512186
https://lanl.arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0702060https://lanl.arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0605250