The consistent histories formalism and the measurement problem

DOI10.1016/J.SHPSB.2015.07.008MaRDI QIDQ905662zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors E. Okon, Daniel Sudarsky

Publication date 27 January 2016

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

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1504.03231

zbMATH Keywords

consistent historiesconsistent quantum theorymeasurement problem

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Physics (00A79) General and philosophical questions in quantum theory (81P05) Quantum measurement theory, state operations, state preparations (81P15) Stochastic mechanics (including stochastic electrodynamics) (81P20)

Abstract: In response to a recent rebuttal of [1] presented in [2], we defend the claim that the Consistent Histories formulation of quantum mechanics does not solve the measurement problem. In order to do so, we argue that satisfactory solutions to the problem must not only not contain anthropomorphic terms (such as measurement or observer) at the fundamental level, but also that applications of the formalism to concrete situations (e.g., measurements) should not require any input not contained in the description of the situation at hand at the fundamental level. Our assertion is that the Consistent Histories formalism does not meet the second criterion. We also argue that the so-called second measurement problem, i.e., the inability to explain how an experimental result is related to a property possessed by the measured system before the measurement took place, is only a pseudo-problem. As a result, we reject the claim, defended in [2], that the capacity of the Consistent Histories formalism to solve it should count as an advantage over other interpretations.

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Cites work

• Consistent quantum measurements
• Consistent Quantum Theory
• Consistent Sets Yield Contrary Inferences in Quantum Theory
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• On the consistency of the consistent histories approach to quantum mechanics
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Cited in

(9)

• Less decoherence and more coherence in quantum gravity, inflationary cosmology and elsewhere
• Bohmian mechanics and consistent histories.
• Quantum histories and correlations in quantum measurements
• On the consistency of the consistent histories approach to quantum mechanics
• Mind-body interaction and modern physics
• Measurements according to consistent histories
• Do we have any viable solution to the measurement problem?
• There is no measurement problem for Humeans
• Consistent quantum measurements

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