The trouble with pilot-wave theory: a critical evaluation

Fuente: arXiv
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Autor principal: Valentini, Antony
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2024
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author Valentini, Antony
author_facet Valentini, Antony
contents Objections to pilot-wave theory frequently come in three mutually-contradictory categories: that the theory is too bizarrely different from ordinary physics, that the theory is not radically different enough, and that the physics of pilot-wave theory is after all just the same as quantum physics. After a brief review of pilot-wave theory, we critically evaluate these objections. We show how the radical nature of pilot-wave theory is often misunderstood or overlooked. We highlight the novelty of its dynamics, and clarify its implications for our understanding of measurement, as well as discussing the status of Lorentz invariance, conservation laws, and the Born rule. We examine Einstein's early work on pilot-wave theory and argue that he turned away from it for reasons which are no longer compelling. We urge that the theory be understood on its own terms, as a generalised nonequilibrium theory empirically distinct from quantum mechanics, with all its potentially revolutionary implications.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2408_05403
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The trouble with pilot-wave theory: a critical evaluation
Valentini, Antony
Quantum Physics
History and Philosophy of Physics
Objections to pilot-wave theory frequently come in three mutually-contradictory categories: that the theory is too bizarrely different from ordinary physics, that the theory is not radically different enough, and that the physics of pilot-wave theory is after all just the same as quantum physics. After a brief review of pilot-wave theory, we critically evaluate these objections. We show how the radical nature of pilot-wave theory is often misunderstood or overlooked. We highlight the novelty of its dynamics, and clarify its implications for our understanding of measurement, as well as discussing the status of Lorentz invariance, conservation laws, and the Born rule. We examine Einstein's early work on pilot-wave theory and argue that he turned away from it for reasons which are no longer compelling. We urge that the theory be understood on its own terms, as a generalised nonequilibrium theory empirically distinct from quantum mechanics, with all its potentially revolutionary implications.
title The trouble with pilot-wave theory: a critical evaluation
topic Quantum Physics
History and Philosophy of Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.05403