Are all particles real?

DOI10.1016/J.SHPSB.2004.11.005zbMATH Open1222.81059arXivquant-ph/0404134OpenAlexW2147219944WikidataQ62036758 ScholiaQ62036758MaRDI QIDQ640246FDOQ640246

Sheldon Goldstein, James Taylor, Roderich Tumulka, Nino Zanghì

Publication date: 17 October 2011

Published in: Studies in History and Philosophy of Science. Part B. Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: In Bohmian mechanics elementary particles exist objectively, as point particles moving according to a law determined by a wavefunction. In this context, questions as to whether the particles of a certain species are real--questions such as, Do photons exist? Electrons? Or just the quarks?--have a clear meaning. We explain that, whatever the answer, there is a corresponding Bohm-type theory, and no experiment can ever decide between these theories. Another question that has a clear meaning is whether particles are intrinsically distinguishable, i.e., whether particle world lines have labels indicating the species. We discuss the intriguing possibility that the answer is no, and particles are points--just points.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0404134

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zbMATH Keywords

ontologyBohmian mechanicsempirical equivalencefundamental limitations of scienceparticle trajectories in quantum physics

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

General and philosophical questions in quantum theory (81P05)

Cites Work

• A Suggested Interpretation of the Quantum Theory in Terms of "Hidden" Variables. I
• Quantum equilibrium and the origin of absolute uncertainty
• On the Problem of Hidden Variables in Quantum Mechanics
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Are all particles identical?
• Remarks on identical particles in de Broglie-Bohm theory.
• Bohmian mechanics and quantum information
• A generalization of the Fenyes - Nelson stochastic model of quantum mechanics

Cited In (10)

• The quantum formalism and the GRW formalism
• A minimalist pilot-wave model for quantum electrodynamics
• Are all particles identical?
• Bohmian mechanics: realism and the ``box experiment
• Relativistic QFT from a Bohmian perspective: a proof of concept
• Leibnizian relationalism for general relativistic physics
• Against the disappearance of spacetime in quantum gravity
• What is a particle?
• Stochasticity and Bell-type quantum field theory
• Lorentz-invariant, retrocausal, and deterministic hidden variables

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