Why the Hamilton operator alone is not enough

DOI10.1007/S10701-009-9299-4MaRDI QIDQ735181zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Ilja Schmelzer

Publication date 21 October 2009

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

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/0901.3262

zbMATH Keywords

decoherencepreferred basis problemmany worlds interpretation

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

General and philosophical questions in quantum theory (81P05) Quantum measurement theory, state operations, state preparations (81P15)

Abstract: In the many worlds community seems to exist a belief that the physics of a quantum theory is completely defined by it's Hamilton operator given in an abstract Hilbert space, especially that the position basis may be derived from it as preferred using decoherence techniques. We show, by an explicit example of non-uniqueness, taken from the theory of the KdV equation, that the Hamilton operator alone is not sufficient to fix the physics. We need the canonical operators p, q as well. As a consequence, it is not possible to derive a "preferred basis" from the Hamilton operator alone, without postulating some additional structure like a "decomposition into systems". We argue that this makes such a derivation useless for fundamental physics.

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Cites work

• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 44609 (Why is no real title available?)
• A Suggested Interpretation of the Quantum Theory in Terms of "Hidden" Variables. I
• Integrals of nonlinear equations of evolution and solitary waves
• Korteweg-deVries equation, I. Global existence of smooth solutions
• Method for Solving the Korteweg-deVries Equation
• On schizophrenic experiences of the neutron or why we should believe in the many‐worlds interpretation of quantum theory
• Solving the measurement problem: de Broglie-Bohm loses out to Everett

Cited in

(4)

• Interpretation miniatures
• Imprints of the quantum world in classical mechanics
• Pure quantum interpretations are not viable
• 3D-space and the preferred basis cannot uniquely emerge from the quantum structure

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