Many worlds and Schrödinger's first quantum theory

DOI10.1093/BJPS/AXP053zbMATH Open1219.81011arXiv0903.2211OpenAlexW3103034048WikidataQ62036740 ScholiaQ62036740MaRDI QIDQ3012298FDOQ3012298

Authors: Valia Allori, Roderich Tumulka, Nino Zanghì, Sheldon Goldstein 

Publication date: 6 July 2011

Published in: The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Schroedinger's first proposal for the interpretation of quantum mechanics was based on a postulate relating the wave function on configuration space to charge density in physical space. Schroedinger apparently later thought that his proposal was empirically wrong. We argue here that this is not the case, at least for a very similar proposal with charge density replaced by mass density. We argue that when analyzed carefully this theory is seen to be an empirically adequate many-worlds theory and not an empirically inadequate theory describing a single world. Moreover, this formulation--Schroedinger's first quantum theory--can be regarded as a formulation of the many-worlds view of quantum mechanics that is ontologically clearer than Everett's.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/0903.2211

Recommendations

• Many worlds and the appearance of probability in quantum mechanics
• Worlds in the Everett interpretation
• Quantum probability and many worlds
• Everett's ``many-worlds proposal
• Many worlds? Everett, quantum theory and reality.

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

History of mathematics in the 20th century (01A60) General and philosophical questions in quantum theory (81P05) History of quantum theory (81-03)

Cited In (21)

• Newtonian semiclassical gravity in the Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber theory with matter density ontology
• The point of primitive ontology
• Is the statistical interpretation of quantum mechanics \(\psi\)-ontic or \(\psi\)-epistemic?
• The primitive ontology of quantum physics: Guidelines for an assessment of the proposals
• Spacetime is as spacetime does
• An ontology of nature with local causality, parallel lives, and many relative worlds
• Finding the world in the wave function: some strategies for solving the macro-object problem
• Electron charge density: a clue from quantum chemistry for quantum foundations
• Diagnosing the trouble with quantum mechanics
• Do we have any viable solution to the measurement problem?
• Quantum mechanics, time and ontology
• Некоторые предварительные условия для создания «многомировой теории всего» и развития интеллектуальной интуиции
• What is it like to be a relativistic GRW theory? Or: quantum mechanics and relativity, still in conflict after all these years
• Multiplicity in Eeverett's interpretation of quantum mechanics
• Reformulating Bell's theorem: the search for a truly local quantum theory
• Many worlds: decoherent or incoherent?
• From time asymmetry to quantum entanglement: the Humean unification
• Everett's missing postulate and the Born rule
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Killer collapse: empirically probing the philosophically unsatisfactory region of GRW
• Can Everett be interpreted without extravaganza?

This page was built for publication: Many worlds and Schrödinger's first quantum theory

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q3012298)