Local, non-realistic description of the EPR-Bohm experiment

  • Context: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter ueit
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Experiment Local
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the EPR-Bohm experiment, specifically focusing on interpretations of the results from a non-realist perspective. Participants explore the implications of locality and non-locality in the context of quantum mechanics, examining how non-realists might explain the observed anti-correlations in measurements of entangled particles.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Andrei proposes a scenario involving entangled particles and asks non-realists to explain the results locally, defining non-realism as the absence of pre-existing values for measured properties.
  • Some participants question the necessity for non-realists to adhere to locality, suggesting that a coherent non-local explanation might exist.
  • There is a discussion about the implications of wave function collapse, with some arguing that it implies realism, while others contend that a non-realist view does not require pre-existing values.
  • Different interpretations of locality are presented, including Bell's local realistic model and quantum field theory, with participants debating whether these models fit the definition of locality as understood in the discussion.
  • One participant argues that the rejection of realism does not inherently conflict with the preservation of locality, emphasizing that experimental evidence supports locality rather than personal preference.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the relationship between non-realism and locality, with no consensus reached on whether a non-realist can provide a local explanation for the EPR-Bohm experiment. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the implications of locality in non-realist interpretations.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the need for clear definitions of terms such as "local" and "non-local," as well as the importance of distinguishing between different models and interpretations in quantum mechanics. The discussion reflects the complexity and nuance of the topic, with various assumptions and conditions influencing the arguments presented.

  • #31
morrobay said:
https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...entanglement-and-nonlocality-comments.864726/

See post @ # 12 by @vanhees71 It seems this could qualify for a local non realistic model :
Non realistic since particles at A or B, in superposition, do not have definite spin values until measured.

I agree this account is non-realistic but it is not local (or at least not obviously so) according to the way I defined the term. That post explains that no faster-than light communication is possible, but this is also true in Bohm's interpretation even if the theory is non-local.

In the post you linked it is accepted that A and B will get anti-correlated results but no cause is given for this fact. So, either vanhees believes there is no cause (in which case the theory is indeed local, but fine-tuned) - my option 1 or, if there is a cause, we are not told about it.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #32
zonde said:
Your argument does not cover all logical possibilities, just all the scientific ones (the first one is called "coincidence").
There is possibility that measurement records are not factual i.e. they are somehow subjective. That's on the side of non scientific possibilities.

I think that most non-realists would disagree with you that this subjectivity is non-scientiffic. Some claim that this is in fact the deep implication of QM. Sure, I disagree with this.

But even if we accept this subjectivity, a theory still has to provide some sort of explanation (why some observer experiences a result and not some other result). So far I have not seen such a well-defined account.
 
  • #33
ueit said:
I agree this account is non-realistic but it is not local (or at least not obviously so) according to the way I defined the term. That post explains that no faster-than light communication is possible, but this is also true in Bohm's interpretation even if the theory is non-local.

In the post you linked it is accepted that A and B will get anti-correlated results but no cause is given for this fact. So, either vanhees believes there is no cause (in which case the theory is indeed local, but fine-tuned) - my option 1 or, if there is a cause, we are not told about it.

The cause is given in post #9 same reference, again by @vanhees71 partial quote:

There is no action at a distance related to entanglement, but it's described by states of systems that are not localized and thus observations of far distant parts of the system can be correlated, but this correlation is due to the preparation of the state long before any measurement on the partial systems is done." ...
https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...entanglement-and-nonlocality-comments.864726/
 
Last edited:
  • #34
morrobay said:
The cause is given in post #9 same reference, again by @vanhees71 partial quote:

There is no action at a distance related to entanglement, but it's described by states of systems that are not localized and thus observations of far distant parts of the system can be correlated, but this correlation is due to the preparation of the state long before any measurement on the partial systems is done." ...
https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...entanglement-and-nonlocality-comments.864726/

It seems to me that the system preparation being the cause of the correlations is just postulated. The theory does not provide any link between the system preparation and the actual results. The non-localized state does not contain enough information to determine the results. And if you cannot determine the results how can you determine a correlation between them?
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: zonde

Similar threads

  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
810
  • · Replies 85 ·
3
Replies
85
Views
6K
  • · Replies 40 ·
2
Replies
40
Views
3K
  • · Replies 74 ·
3
Replies
74
Views
5K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
  • · Replies 175 ·
6
Replies
175
Views
13K
  • · Replies 37 ·
2
Replies
37
Views
7K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
3K
  • · Replies 35 ·
2
Replies
35
Views
2K