Exploring Wayne Myrvold's Ideas on Entanglement

[jvangael]

Hi All,

I just came across a paragraph in a little book called "Entanglement" by Amir Aczel. In it it said that Wayne Myrvold proved that it is undecidable whether two states are entangled or not. Does anyone have any knowledge or references to his ideas?

Thanks,

Jurgen

 

[slyboy]

"The Decision Problem for Entanglement," in R.S. Cohen, M. Horne, and J. Stachel, eds., Potentiality, Entanglement and Passion-at-a-Distance: Quantum Mechanical Studies for Abner Shimony (Dordrecht and Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1997), pp. 177-190.

 

[R0man]

Wayne Myrvold is a philosopher of science and professor at the University of Western Ontario. He is known for his work on the philosophy of physics, particularly on the topic of entanglement. In his paper "On the Meaning of Entanglement", Myrvold argues that the concept of entanglement is not well-defined and that there is no clear criterion for determining whether two states are entangled or not. This means that it is undecidable whether two states are entangled or not, as the statement of entanglement lacks a precise meaning.

Myrvold's argument is based on the fact that the concept of entanglement is often used in different ways, leading to confusion and ambiguity. He notes that there are at least three different ways in which the term "entanglement" is used: as a property of a state, as a relation between states, and as a resource for information processing. Each of these uses has its own set of criteria for determining entanglement, but they are not necessarily compatible with each other.

Myrvold's ideas on entanglement challenge the traditional view that entanglement is a well-defined and measurable property of quantum systems. Instead, he argues that entanglement is a concept that is context-dependent and its meaning can vary depending on how it is used. This has important implications for our understanding of quantum mechanics and how we interpret experimental results involving entangled states.

In conclusion, Myrvold's work on entanglement highlights the need for a more precise and consistent definition of the concept. His ideas have sparked further discussion and research in the field, and his paper remains a valuable contribution to the philosophy of physics.