Realism and the wavefunction

DOI10.1088/0143-0807/23/3/307MaRDI QIDQ3147343zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors A. Matzkin

Publication date 11 February 2003

Published in European Journal of Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0208018

zbMATH Keywords

classical non-referring and epistemic terms

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

General and philosophical questions in quantum theory (81P05)

Abstract: Realism -- the idea that the concepts in physical theories refer to 'things' existing in the real world -- is introduced as a tool to analyze the status of the wave-function. Although the physical entities are recognized by the existence of invariant quantities, examples from classical and quantum physics suggest that not all the theoretical terms refer to the entities: some terms refer to properties of the entities, and some terms have only an epistemic function. In particular, it is argued that the wave-function may be written in terms of classical non-referring and epistemic terms. The implications for realist interpretations of quantum mechanics and on the teaching of quantum physics are examined.

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(5)

• The world in the wave function. A metaphysics for quantum physics
• Wavefunction reality, indeterminate properties and degrees of presence
• On the physical reality of quantum waves
• Laws of nature and the reality of the wave function
• What is a wavefunction?

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