Quantum Mechanics,Quantum Information Theory,and the Sirens of Interpretation
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A dissertation submitted for the degree of MSc in the Philosophy & History of ScienceLondon School of Economics and Political ScienceDepartment of Philosophy, Logic, and Scientific Method22 August 2005
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Contents
1. Introduction.....................................................................................................32. The Problems of Quantum Mechanics...........................................................5
2.1 Introduction...................................................................................................................52.2 The measurement problem.........................................................................................62.3 The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox.....................................................................72.4 Probabilities...................................................................................................................9
3. Fuchs’ Programme.........................................................................................10
3.1 Quantum information theory....................................................................................103.2 Fuchs’ research programme......................................................................................113.2 New problems arise....................................................................................................13
4. Does Quantum Mechanics Need an Interpretation?.....................................14
4.1 Interpretations—an introduction.............................................................................144.2 Interpretation without interpretation is still interpretation...................................164.3 Quantum mechanics as a principle theory..............................................................204.4 Other approaches........................................................................................................234.5 The benefits of interpretation...................................................................................26
5. A New Interpretation is Not a New Theory..................................................286. Conclusion......................................................................................................307. References.......................................................................................................32
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Quantum Mechanics,Quantum Information Theory,and the Sirens of Interpretation
1. Introduction
The philosophical interpretation of quantum mechanics is a problem—a big prob-lem. Enigmatically, despite having a solid formulation of its principles for approxi-mately 75 years, and despite exploiting its consequences with remarkable precisionand success, a transparent conceptual underpinning continues to elude us. It is atheory precise enough to get the lambda shift correct to seven decimal places, suc-cessful enough to not have been refuted by any experiment, and yet odd enough sothat no one confidently understands why it works.Of course, there has been no shortage of attempts to give sense to quantummechanics. The enormous number of interpretations available and the myriad of varieties within each is ample evidence of this: the Copenhagen tradition, originating in the writing of Niels Bohr, has perhaps the largest contingency of followers; othersinclude advocates of Bohmian mechanics, consistent historians, the various theoriesof spontaneous collapse, and the many-worlds followers of Hugh Everett. The listgoes on and on—each interpretation offering radically different conceptions of the
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Sirens
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| Upload Date: | 07/16/2009 |
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