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