scholarly journals Effective theory approach to the measurement problem

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Icefield

One understanding of the Niels Bohr's interpretation of quantum mechanics suggests that the measurement problem arises because an observer description of reality is incomplete due to lack of complete access to an entire system of observed and observer. In general, an additional and external measuring observer is required to access the entire system. Inevitable entanglement between observers, measurement apparatus and measured objects is key to such an understanding of the measurement problem. Quantum mechanics only provides a complete `incomplete' description of reality. Nevertheless, some issues, especially providing an account of why a preferred measurement basis arises, remain. Replacing relations between observed and observer in relational quantum mechanics with those between effective (approximate) theories, one arrives at a more clear understanding of why the measurement problem arises and how a preferred measurement basis is determined. The measurement problem exists because of measurement apparatus limitations, which only allow us to formulate and verify effective theories that inevitably neglect some details of nature.

Author(s):  
Michael Silberstein ◽  
W.M. Stuckey ◽  
Timothy McDevitt

The main thread of chapter 4 introduces some of the major mysteries and interpretational issues of quantum mechanics (QM). These mysteries and issues include: quantum superposition, quantum nonlocality, Bell’s inequality, entanglement, delayed choice, the measurement problem, and the lack of counterfactual definiteness. All these mysteries and interpretational issues of QM result from dynamical explanation in the mechanical universe and are dispatched using the authors’ adynamical explanation in the block universe, called Relational Blockworld (RBW). A possible link between RBW and quantum information theory is provided. The metaphysical underpinnings of RBW, such as contextual emergence, spatiotemporal ontological contextuality, and adynamical global constraints, are provided in Philosophy of Physics for Chapter 4. That is also where RBW is situated with respect to retrocausal accounts and it is shown that RBW is a realist, psi-epistemic account of QM. All the relevant formalism for this chapter is provided in Foundational Physics for Chapter 4.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Antusch ◽  
A. Hammad ◽  
Ahmed Rashed

Abstract We investigate the sensitivity of electron-proton (ep) colliders for charged lepton flavor violation (cLFV) in an effective theory approach, considering a general effective Lagrangian for the conversion of an electron into a muon or a tau via the effective coupling to a neutral gauge boson or a neutral scalar field. For the photon, the Z boson and the Higgs particle of the Standard Model, we present the sensitivities of the LHeC for the coefficients of the effective operators, calculated from an analysis at the reconstructed level. As an example model where such flavor changing neutral current (FCNC) operators are generated at loop level, we consider the extension of the Standard Model by sterile neutrinos. We show that the LHeC could already probe the LFV conversion of an electron into a muon beyond the current experimental bounds, and could reach more than an order of magnitude higher sensitivity than the present limits for LFV conversion of an electron into a tau. We discuss that the high sensitivities are possible because the converted charged lepton is dominantly emitted in the backward direction, enabling an efficient separation of the signal from the background.


2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Oldofredi

AbstractThe present essay provides a new metaphysical interpretation of Relational Quantum Mechanics (RQM) in terms of mereological bundle theory. The essential idea is to claim that a physical system in RQM can be defined as a mereological fusion of properties whose values may vary for different observers. Abandoning the Aristotelian tradition centered on the notion of substance, I claim that RQM embraces an ontology of properties that finds its roots in the heritage of David Hume. To this regard, defining what kind of concrete physical objects populate the world according to RQM, I argue that this theoretical framework can be made compatible with (i) a property-oriented ontology, in which the notion of object can be easily defined, and (ii) moderate structural realism, a philosophical position where relations and relata are both fundamental. Finally, I conclude that under this reading relational quantum mechanics should be included among the full-fledged realist interpretations of quantum theory.


2013 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 443-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Boughn ◽  
Marcel Reginatto

Author(s):  
David Wallace

Decoherence is widely felt to have something to do with the quantum measurement problem, but getting clear on just what is made difficult by the fact that the ‘measurement problem’, as traditionally presented in foundational and philosophical discussions, has become somewhat disconnected from the conceptual problems posed by real physics. This, in turn, is because quantum mechanics as discussed in textbooks and in foundational discussions has become somewhat removed from scientific practice, especially where the analysis of measurement is concerned. This paper has two goals: firstly (§§1–2), to present an account of how quantum measurements are actually dealt with in modern physics (hint: it does not involve a collapse of the wave function) and to state the measurement problem from the perspective of that account; and secondly (§§3–4), to clarify what role decoherence plays in modern measurement theory and what effect it has on the various strategies that have been proposed to solve the measurement problem.


2016 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 1660001
Author(s):  
Xiangdong Ji ◽  
Yong Zhao

We justify the physical meaning of the spin and orbital angular momentum of free partons in the infinite momentum frame, and discuss the relationship between the Jaffe-Manohar and Ji’s sum rules for proton spin. The parton orbital angular momentum in the Jaffe-Manohar sum rule can be measured through twist-three GPD’s in hard scattering processes such as deeply virtual Compton scattering. Furthermore, we propose that the paton orbital angular momentum as well as the gluon helicity can be calculated in lattice QCD through a large momentum effective theory approach, and provide all the one-loop matching conditions for the proton spin content in perturbative QCD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (01) ◽  
pp. 1930018
Author(s):  
Diego Guadagnoli

This paper describes the work pursued in the years 2008–2013 on improving the Standard Model prediction of selected flavor-physics observables. The latter includes: (1) [Formula: see text], that quantifies indirect CP violation in the [Formula: see text] system and (2) the very rare decay [Formula: see text], recently measured at the LHC. Concerning point (1), the paper describes our reappraisal of the long-distance contributions to [Formula: see text],[Formula: see text] that have permitted to unveil a potential tension between CP violation in the [Formula: see text]- and [Formula: see text]-system. Concerning point (2), the paper gives a detailed account of various systematic effects pointed out in Ref. 4 and affecting the Standard Model [Formula: see text] decay rate at the level of 10% — hence large enough to be potentially misinterpreted as nonstandard physics, if not properly included. The paper further describes the multifaceted importance of the [Formula: see text] decays as new physics probes, for instance how they compare with [Formula: see text]-peak observables at LEP, following the effective-theory approach of Ref. 5. Both cases (1) and (2) offer clear examples in which the pursuit of precision in Standard Model predictions offered potential avenues to discovery. Finally, this paper describes the impact of the above results on the literature, and what is the further progress to be expected on these and related observables.


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