Single Classical-Quantum Physics of Everything?

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SUMMARY

Physicists are progressing towards a unified framework for classical and quantum dynamics, but a fully integrated formalism remains elusive. The paper by R. Kapral, titled "Progress in the theory of mixed quantum-classical dynamics," outlines existing theoretical advancements, yet practical applications for macroscopic systems, particularly in measurement processes, are still challenging. Current understanding indicates that significant breakthroughs, especially in quantum gravity, are still decades away. Explicit calculations for complex systems continue to pose difficulties, reflecting the ongoing complexities in statistical mechanics.

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  • Understanding of quantum mechanics principles
  • Familiarity with classical mechanics
  • Knowledge of statistical mechanics
  • Awareness of mixed quantum-classical dynamics
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  • Read R. Kapral's paper on mixed quantum-classical dynamics
  • Explore advancements in quantum gravity theories
  • Investigate statistical mechanics applications in quantum systems
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Physicists, researchers in quantum mechanics and classical physics, and anyone interested in the theoretical frameworks unifying these domains will benefit from this discussion.

ObjectivelyRational
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How close are physicists to understanding and describing the physics of all things quantum and classical and quantum systems interacting with "classical" systems in a single integrated consistent mathematical framework?

i.e. How far are we from a single integrated formalism that describes classical and quantum dynamics and everything in-between (including all the interactions... some of which are classified as "measurement" now)?
 
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from what i have read and heard it will still be decades before we have a single integrated formalism
i believe that we still don't have any quantum math for gravity yet!
 
The framework you ask for is already fully developed. See the following paper and its references:

R. Kapral, Progress in the theory of mixed quantum-classical dynamics, Annu. Rev. Phys. Chem. 57 (2006): 129-157.
http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev.physchem.57.032905.104702

However, except for the simplest systems, explicit calculations involving macroscopic systems (as needed for the measurement process) are difficult, as always in statistical mechanics.
 
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