Isn’t Bell’s probability density for hidden variables too restrictive?

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

J.S. Bell's 1964 paper establishes a critical restriction on hidden variable distributions in quantum mechanics, specifically that the density distribution ρ(λ) must not depend on the measurement settings a and b. This non-dependency is essential for deriving Bell's inequality, which states that if a theory predicts violations of this inequality, it must incorporate a dependency on a and b. This conclusion highlights the fundamental differences between classical and quantum theories, particularly in how they handle locality and hidden variables.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Bell's Theorem and its implications in quantum mechanics.
  • Familiarity with the concepts of hidden variables in quantum theory.
  • Knowledge of probability density functions and their role in statistical mechanics.
  • Basic grasp of the principles of locality in physics.
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the derivation of Bell's inequality in detail.
  • Explore the implications of Bell's Theorem on quantum mechanics and locality.
  • Investigate alternative interpretations of quantum mechanics that address hidden variables.
  • Examine the relationship between Bell's Theorem and experimental results in quantum entanglement.
USEFUL FOR

Physicists, quantum mechanics researchers, and students studying the foundations of quantum theory will benefit from this discussion, particularly those interested in the implications of hidden variables and Bell's Theorem.

nekkert llup
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
J.S. Bell (Physics Vol.1, No. 3, 1964) excludes from consideration any distribution [tex]\rho[/tex] of the hidden variable [tex]\lambda[/tex] that formally depends on the vectors [tex]a[/tex] and [tex]b[/tex], except if [tex]\rho ( \lambda ,a,b) = \rho ' ( \lambda ,a) \rho ' ( \lambda ,b)[/tex] i.e. if the distribution can be factored in a part depending on [tex]a[/tex] and not on [tex]b[/tex] and another part depending on [tex]b[/tex] and not on [tex]a[/tex]. Otherwise he could not derive (22). On precisely which grounds did Bell introduce this restriction? For example, does the locality requirement lead to this restriction? How?Are other principles involved?

Edit: I made an unforgivable error: According to Bell, neither [tex]\lambda[/tex] itself nor its density distribution [tex]\rho ( \lambda )[/tex] may depend on [tex]a[/tex] and [tex]b[/tex]. The question is still the same: why not?
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
Bell makes this no-dependency assumption because he's deriving a result about theories that have this property. It's analogous to drawing conclusions about the properties of rational numbers starting from the assumption that a rational number can be written as the ratio of two integers; the assumption is "too restrictive" in the sense that there are numbers that can't be written in that form, but that doesn't mean that the assumption is not justified, it means that the conclusion only applies to numbers that can be written in that form.

If a theory contains no such dependency on ##a## and ##b##, then it must obey his inequality. That's Bell's Theorem.

What makes this an interesting result is the contrapositive: if a theory predicts violations of the inequality, then it must include such a dependency. Quantum mechanics makes such a prediction, therefore any theory that agrees with QM must include that dependency.
 
Please when you write latex symbols in text, start and end them with ##.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K
  • · Replies 93 ·
4
Replies
93
Views
8K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 333 ·
12
Replies
333
Views
20K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
2K
  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
34K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
  • · Replies 82 ·
3
Replies
82
Views
11K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K