Nonclassical total probability formula and quantum interference of probabilities

frequencies joint probabilities pairwise independent random vectors quantum interference quantum probabilities random variables SLLN statistical ensembles of systems total probability formula

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Foundations of probability theory (60A99) Strong limit theorems (60F15) General and philosophical questions in quantum theory (81P05) Logical foundations of quantum mechanics; quantum logic (quantum-theoretic aspects) (81P10)

Abstract: Interpretation of the nonclassical total probability formula arising in some quantum experiments is provided based on stochastic models described by means of a sequence of random vectors changing in the measurement procedures.

Review text

Quantum joint probabilities include an ``interference term foreign to classical mechanics, and while Hilbert space analysis provides an ``elegant derivation of the quantum statistics, this ``rather loses links with traditional concepts of probability theory (p. 50). The aim of this paper is to give an account of the quantum probabilities within Kolmogorov's traditional analysis by providing a ``simple stochastic model of measurement for quantum joint probabilities. At heart is the claim that all properties are ``contextual, a claim backed up by Kolmogorov's own view that every probability is conditional. In addition ``by changing context we change mathematical representation (Kolmogorovian random variable) of a property (p. 51). Systems are ``quite sensitive to perturbations induced by transformations of contexts (p. 52, author's stress) so that choice about describing one property can change our descriptions of others. A simple example consists of a system with two properties (shape and colour) each with two values (cube, sphere; red, blue). The contextual nature of properties in quantum systems means that after measurement ``some cubes can become spheres and vice versa some red bodies can become blue (ibid.). The simple example is developed formally in terms of a pair of two-valued independent random variables over a statistical ensemble. In section 3 ``Nonclassical total probability formula the stochastic analysis is generalised to sequences of pairwise independent random variables, and a limit theorem for such random variables is proved (p. 54), apparently extending earlier work of Khrennikov. Five ``remarks follow to elaborate aspects of the theorem and to demonstrate analogies with quantum probabilities, for example (Remark 4) between ``contextual and quantum interference terms. This is not the first paper to argue that quantum probabilities can be explained in a Kolmogorov framework (this reviewer did so in 1984 and work of Khrennikov is referenced). The real interest of the paper lies in the detailed development of a stochastic model based on the sequences of random variables, and the theorem that helps show this does yield frequencies with appropriately quantum characteristics. This paper deserves a wide readership so it is a pity that glaring typographical errors ``for example in the date referenced for Kolmogorov's opus (p. 50) and variable names in the example (p. 52) have been allowed to mar an otherwise thoughtful paper.

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